Materials and Separator Collaboration for Next-Generation Batteries

Arkema and Senior have entered a strategic collaboration to jointly develop and industrialize advanced material and separator solutions aimed at improving performance, safety, and manufacturability of next-generation batteries.

Strategic scope across the battery value chain
The Memorandum of Understanding establishes a framework for long-term cooperation spanning technical development, commercial alignment, and application-level validation. The collaboration focuses on integrating Arkema’s current and future battery material portfolio with Senior’s separator technologies and large-scale industrialization capabilities.

By aligning materials innovation with separator design and manufacturing, the partners aim to reduce development cycles and improve the readiness of new solutions for deployment in the global new energy sector, where demand for higher-performance and safer batteries continues to grow.

Focus on materials–process integration
A central objective of the collaboration is to address the interfaces between battery materials and manufacturing processes. Key areas include advanced adhesion technologies and controlled deposition and coating processes on electrodes, where material–separator compatibility directly influences cell reliability and yield.

Low-temperature cell assembly is another focus area, targeting manufacturing routes that reduce thermal stress on materials while supporting energy efficiency and process stability. These approaches are particularly relevant as battery producers seek to lower energy consumption and improve consistency in high-volume production.

Enabling emerging battery manufacturing technologies
The cooperation also extends to emerging semi-solid battery manufacturing technologies. Semi-solid processes introduce different rheological and interfacial requirements compared with conventional slurry-based electrode fabrication, placing new demands on binders, coatings, and separator surfaces.

By combining Arkema’s expertise in Specialty Materials with Senior’s experience in separator design and industrial-scale production, the collaboration aims to adapt materials and separators to these evolving manufacturing paradigms, supporting scalability and repeatability.

Performance, safety, and manufacturability
From a technical perspective, separator–material interactions play a critical role in battery performance and safety, influencing ionic transport, mechanical stability, and resistance to thermal and electrochemical degradation. The joint development approach is intended to optimize these parameters while maintaining compatibility with existing and future production lines.

Manufacturing efficiency is addressed through solutions designed for controlled coating, reduced process variability, and smoother scale-up from pilot to industrial production. This is particularly important for battery manufacturers balancing rapid capacity expansion with quality and safety requirements.

Positioning within the global battery ecosystem
Through this MoU, both companies aim to strengthen their roles within the global battery ecosystem by leveraging complementary capabilities. Arkema contributes advanced polymer and materials science expertise, while Senior provides separator technology know-how and industrialization experience.

The collaboration reflects a broader industry trend toward closer integration between materials suppliers and component manufacturers, as battery innovation increasingly depends on coordinated development across the digital supply chain rather than isolated component advances.