Powder Impedance Measurement System (English)

Revolutionizing R&D Environments and Processes!
Accelerating Development of Solid-State Batteries and Dry Processes

Product Overview


The Powder Impedance Measurement System simultaneously measures impedance, thickness, and pressure of powder materials under high compression, crucial for battery material research. Its compact design allows installation and operation within a glove box or dry chamber. This system completes all tasks without removing samples from the glove box, significantly improving safety, reliability, and efficiency in next-generation battery development. It provides substantial value, especially for the study of sulfide solid-state batteries and moisture-sensitive materials expected to be used in electric vehicles.

Background of Development


Optimizing energy consumption and transitioning to sustainable energy are significant societal challenges we face today. Addressing these challenges requires expanding the use of electricity derived from renewable sources. To efficiently transition from fossil fuel dependency to renewable energy, especially in the transportation sector, electrification is crucial. Among the effective strategies is the promotion of battery electric vehicles (BEVs) that can be charged via plug-in.

Lithium-ion batteries with liquid electrolytes have seen significant technological advancements over the past 40 years and are widely used in electric vehicles (BEVs). However, consumer dissatisfaction hinders their widespread adoption. Concerns include range, charging time, cost, and safety. These challenges are largely attributed to the characteristics of liquid electrolyte lithium-ion batteries.

To extend range, reduce charging time, and ensure safety at an affordable cost for electric vehicles (BEVs), the implementation of next-generation batteries is crucial. Research on materials and manufacturing processes is actively ongoing. Solid-state batteries using solid electrolytes are currently seen as promising for automotive applications. Materials for solid electrolytes being explored include sulfide, oxide, halide, and polymer types. Notably, sulfide and halide solid-state batteries can achieve high performance without high-temperature sintering, making early commercial mass production promising. In manufacturing, dry technologies such as solvent-free dry electrodes and clay-like batteries incorporating electrolytes are expected to significantly reduce costs, and research in these areas is progressing.

Liquid electrolytes require a thin insulating membrane called a separator. If the separator breaks, it can cause internal short circuits, leading to thermal runaway and fires. Additionally, liquid electrolytes are highly flammable and degrade with heat. Changing to solid electrolytes is expected to overcome these weaknesses. Moreover, adopting solid electrolytes broadens the choice of active materials for electrodes, potentially leading to performance breakthroughs.

However, these promising materials and processes also face challenges. Many materials are sensitive to moisture, and exposure can lead to the release of harmful hydrogen sulfide gas or cause degradation. Therefore, research and development require the use of glove boxes or dry chambers. However, the limited space within these devices makes it difficult to install all necessary evaluation equipment. As a result, researchers must compress materials within the glove box, seal them in test cells, and then remove the samples for external measurement. Repeating this process increases the risk of hydrogen sulfide gas leakage and material degradation, while also consuming a significant amount of researchers’ valuable time.

In response, HIOKI has developed an extremely compact all-in-one measurement system that can be installed within a glove box. This system revolutionizes the evaluation process of solid-state batteries. It ensures high safety while significantly streamlining the entire workflow from sample preparation to measurement.

The press unit and sensor unit can be installed within a glove box or dry chamber, allowing all tasks to be completed at the operator’s fingertips.

The Four Key Benefits of This Product

1. All-in-One Functionality


The press unit SA9003, with a maximum press pressure of 764 MPa (using a φ10mm electrode), reliably achieves the pressure conditions expected by users. This system can simultaneously measure impedance, thickness, and pressure while controlling the compression state of powders. Multidimensional analysis using these three critical parameters provides valuable insights into the relationships between bulk density, ionic conductivity, and electrical conductivity. These insights aid in developing solid electrolytes with excellent flexibility, cohesiveness, and resistance to cracking, and also help in determining the optimal material mixing ratio for cathode composites.

The press unit and test fixture are equipped with the sensors and electrodes needed for measurement, allowing all measurements to be completed simultaneously with the pressing operation.


2. Compactness Revolutionizing R&D


The remarkably compact measurement system can be easily integrated into a glove box. Its compactness ensures it does not encroach on the valuable workspace within the glove box. From filling to compression and measurement, the materials never leave the glove box, meaning they are completely isolated from external moisture.

This allows all processes to be completed in a strictly controlled environment, enhancing the stability and reliability of measurement results. Researchers can eliminate unnecessary tasks and concerns, allowing them to focus confidently on their analysis in a secure research environment.

The extremely lightweight and compact test fixture and press unit make both the installation and working spaces compact.

3. Eliminating Safety and Degradation Risks for Researchers 


Sulfide-based powder materials release harmful hydrogen sulfide gas when reacting with moisture in the air. Halide-based powder materials are highly hygroscopic and can dissolve in moisture. Additionally, many battery materials risk degradation when reacting with moisture.

Currently, researchers invest significant effort into avoiding these risks by filling materials into moisture-blocking sealed test cells and repeatedly moving them in and out of glove boxes. This system allows all processes to be completed within the glove box, freeing researchers from concerns about safety risks and material degradation.


Eliminating the movement of materials and operators removes various risk factors, allowing operators to focus on their tasks.

4. Reduce Evaluation Costs and Increase Experiment Trials


 To advance research, it is necessary to repeat hypotheses and experiments. Accelerating solid-state battery research requires changing pressure conditions and material ratios to conduct numerous experiments. Traditionally, after compressing powders in a glove box, samples had to be removed for evaluation. Additionally, since samples couldn’t be reused after measurement, one sample was consumed per pressure condition, increasing time and sample consumption, thus raising evaluation costs and hindering increased experimentation.

HIOKI’s Powder Impedance Measurement System completes all processes within the glove box. For example, it can reduce experiment time from over two hours to about ten minutes. Moreover, with the integration of the pressing mechanism and measurement electrodes, continuous measurement with varying pressures on a single sample is possible, significantly reducing sample consumption. Researchers can efficiently utilize limited resources and conduct more experiments.

Pressure conditions can be varied stepwise for a single sample, allowing for the collection and immediate analysis of measurement data for each condition.

About the Powder Impedance Measurement System

System Configuration


This system is composed of multiple units that simultaneously measure the mechanical and electrical properties of powder materials. The all-in-one compact press unit with various functions allows for continuous measurement under multiple pressure conditions for a single sample.

・A compact press unit equipped with a pressing mechanism and sensors for measuring thickness and pressure
・A high-strength test fixture with electrodes for filling powder materials
・An impedance analyzer for measuring electrical parameters
・A sensor unit for monitoring mechanical parameters
・Intelligent integrated software for comprehensive analysis of the measurement data