Exploring battery interfaces faster: THOR at GFECI

News releases 13 April 2026

At this year’s GFECI conference—an annual gathering of the Groupe Français d’Étude des Composés d’Insertion—the THOR project presented a new approach to better understand what happens inside lithium-ion batteries, where performance is often decided at the interfaces between materials.

During the conference that took place from March 16 to 19, 2026, in Clermont-Ferrand (France), partners at CEA presented their recent work focused on the use of a high-throughput to XPS spectroscopy approach, designed to study interfaces and material heterogeneities more efficiently. By accelerating surface analysis, this method allows researchers to investigate multiple electrode configurations in a systematic way, shedding light on how different interfaces behave and evolve.

This work is particularly relevant for the GFECI community, as it addresses fundamental questions about electrode interfaces in intercalation systems using advanced surface characterization techniques. Understanding these microscopic interactions is key to improving battery performance, durability, and safety.

Beyond characterization, THOR is also working to streamline experimental efforts. By carefully selecting the most relevant parameters for multiphysics modeling, we aim to reduce the time and complexity of experimental campaigns, while still capturing the essential physical and chemical phenomena.

Together, these advances contribute to a more efficient research process for battery innovation.

Read the full publication here.

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