DIGIBAT - Automated energy research facility

The Flex CATscreen is a fully automated materials synthesis platform at DIGIBAT, Imperial College London. Designed for high-throughput and reproducible workflows, the system enables automated workflow including powder handling, liquid handling, mixing, heating at high temperature & pressure, and further pyrolysis over 1000 C. This platform supports a wide range of materials research applications, including battery electrodes, electrocatalysts, and functional materials, helping accelerate discovery through automation, standardisation, and data-driven experimentation.

In this video, we introduce the key functions of the SWingXL automated used at DIGIBAT, Imperial College London. The system supports automated electrolyte formulation and coin cell assembly under argon conditions for battery research and other materials science applications, improving consistency, throughput, and data quality across assembling processes.

In this video, we introduce the Cellerate automated battery cell assembly system used at DIGIBAT, Imperial College London. Cellerate enables high-precision, repeatable, and semi- to fully-automated assembly of coin cells, supporting consistent research workflows and reducing variability in cell fabrication. The system integrates controlled electrode handling, electrolyte dosing, cell crimping, and real-time process monitoring — helping researchers produce reliable and comparable electrochemical cells for battery testing and materials development.

We are excited to share a glimpse of our self-developed automated electrocatalysis system (AutoCatX) in operation at DIGIBAT, Department of Chemical Engineering, Imperial College London. ⚡🤖

In this video, Dr Sushila (PDRA funded by the VALUED project, supervised by Camille Petit and Magda Titirici) introduces the key functions of AutoCatX. Our final-year MEng students Shivani and Amiira (supervised by Camille Petit and Sushila) also share their experience of carrying out research using the system.

This platform is part of DIGIBAT’s vision to build an automated energy research facility, bringing together automation, electrochemistry, and data science to accelerate scientific discovery.

A huge thank you to Sushila for leading this project, and to the many electrocatalysis researchers who contributed to the early development phase two years ago — Silvia Favero, Enrico, Hanzhi, Helen, Jesús Barrio Hermida, Angus, and Jingyu.

And massive thanks to Shoichi Matsuda and Ryo Tamura for their support in installing the NIMO software.

It was a pleasure to support three talented MEng students from Imperial College London's Imperial Mechanical Engineering for their final-year projects at the DIGIBAT facility! Li Ren Thow, Eunice and Joshua Tregale have done an incredible job exploring how automation can enhance energy research. Special thanks to their supervisors Gregory Offer, Monica Marinescu, Yatish and Derek.

This series of videos is tailored for undergraduate students who want a brief overview of how researchers test new electrochemical technologies at the laboratory scale. In this video, researcher Silvia Favero, at Imperial College London, will show how we assemble and test coin cells for battery research.

This series of videos is tailored for undergraduate students, who want a brief overview of how researchers test new electrochemical technologies at the laboratory scale. In this video, researcher Silvia Favero, at Imperial College London, will show how we test novel electrocatalysts using a membrane electrode assembly (MEA). This is the last stage of catalyst development, as MEAs are time-consuming to operate and optimize. This video only shows the essential components of an MEA (cathode, anode, membrane and flow fields), while real devices will feature additional components specific to the reaction, such as gas humidifiers for fuel cells.

Join us for a behind-the-scenes look at the delivery and installation of the SWingXL automated blade-coating system at DIGIBAT, Imperial College London.

This video captures the full journey — from unloading and positioning the instrument to assembling components, calibration checks, and the first operational tests. The SWingXL expands our automated electrode preparation capabilities, supporting high-quality and reproducible thin-film coatings for battery research and beyond.