Detecting Oversized Particles in Battery Materials – A New Era of Sensitivity

In modern battery manufacturing, cathode and anode materials are designed with a tight particle size distribution to optimise performance. Yet, during production, oversized agglomerates and contaminants can slip in. Even at trace levels, these large particles can trigger local hotspots, degrade performance, shorten lifespan, and pose safety hazards. Detecting them is critical — but also challenging — due to their low occurrence.

Traditional laser diffraction has been the go-to technique for measuring particle size in battery materials. However, when just a few oversized particles are present, their scattering signals are often masked by the bulk population. That’s where the Mastersizer 3000+ steps in, enhanced with Size Sure adaptive laser diffraction and Hydro Insight dynamic imaging.

Size Sure records up to 10,000 diffraction frames per second and separates the diffraction signal into steady and transient states. This approach isolates weak, short-lived signals from the rare, oversized particles, delivering up to ten times superior detection sensitivity to the traditional diffraction methods.

Hydro Insight complements this by providing high-resolution imaging for visual verification and classification of individual particles – distinguishing between agglomerates and true contaminants. It achieves detection sensitivity down to approximately one oversized particle per million.

In our tests with Lithium Nickel Cobalt Aluminium Oxide (LNCA) cathode material spiked with spherical glass particles, Hydro Insight detected particles even at the lowest levels, while the Size Sure flagged them well below the classical detection threshold. This combined approach enables earlier detection of oversized particles, improving battery safety, yield, and reliability — crucial for meeting the stringent demands of EVs, energy storage, and portable electronics.

Join our webinar – 10th September
Discover how Size Sure and Hydro Insight on the Mastersizer 3000+ can revolutionize particle detection in battery materials. Our experts will share real-world case studies, demonstrate how these tools enhance detection sensitivity, and explain how early intervention can prevent costly failures.

Register today and learn how to take your Research and quality control to the next level.