During the critical transition of solid-state batteries from laboratory research to mass production, high-purity glove boxes are no longer merely simple operating platforms, but essential infrastructure ensuring material safety, process stability, and continuous production capacity.
In 2026, the global industrialization of solid-state batteries is accelerating. Among them, all-solid-state batteries using sulfide as the electrolyte have emerged as one of the mainstream technical routes due to their excellent ionic conductivity. However, such materials have a notable drawback: upon contact with even trace amounts of moisture in the air, they rapidly undergo hydrolysis and release hydrogen sulfide (H₂S) gas. This gas is not only highly toxic but also extremely flammable and explosive, posing severe challenges to personnel safety and the production environment. More critically, even a slight increase in water and oxygen levels above 1 ppm can cause irreversible degradation of electrolyte performance, thereby reducing the cycle life and energy density of the battery.
For this reason, the entire process of sulfide solid-state batteries from pilot trials to mass production—including electrolyte synthesis, electrode preparation, cell stacking, and packaging—must be carried out in an ultra-clean inert atmosphere, with long-term stable control of water and oxygen content at H₂O < 0.1 ppm and O₂ < 0.1 ppm. Traditional dry rooms can no longer meet these stringent requirements, making high-purity glove boxes indispensable equipment on production lines.
Dual-Column Purification: “Dual Insurance” for Continuous Operation
Most conventional glove boxes adopt a single-column gas purification system. After a period of operation, adsorbent materials such as molecular sieves and copper catalysts inside gradually become saturated and require shutdown for regeneration. For pilot lines requiring 24/7 continuous operation, such shutdowns not only disrupt production rhythm but also may compromise process continuity and batch consistency.
To address this pain point, Mikrouna’s high-purity inert atmosphere glove boxes are innovatively equipped with a dual purification column system. This design consists of two purification columns, each filled with high-efficiency copper catalyst and molecular sieve. During normal operation, one column performs purification while the other remains on standby. When the working column becomes saturated and can no longer effectively remove water and oxygen from the chamber atmosphere, the system can seamlessly switch to the standby column for regeneration. The alternating operation of the two columns ensures stable and fluctuation-free atmosphere inside the chamber, truly achieving “zero interruption” in the production process.
High Sealing Performance: A Low-Leakage Defense for Large Volumes
Many key materials in solid-state battery manufacturing are extremely sensitive to water and oxygen, and operations must often be performed inside sealed glove boxes. As the volume of manufacturing equipment increases, the glove box capacity must expand accordingly, presenting higher challenges to sealing performance. Through multiple process innovations, Mikrouna has controlled the leakage rate to an extremely low level:
The cabinet adopts a three-sided integrated bending process, reducing the number of welds and minimizing leakage risks at the source;
Key welds are completed by laser welding and inspected via non-destructive testing to ensure no micro-cracks;
The window flange is machined from a single thick plate into a rectangular ring, matched with a seamless O-ring and 8 mm tempered glass, enabling a cabinet leakage rate below 0.0006 vol%/h.
In addition, critical components of Mikrouna’s high-purity glove boxes—including the PLC control system, gas purification materials, vacuum pumps, and sensors—are manufactured in strict accordance with nuclear industry specifications and standards. Their precision in gas control, structural sealing, and system reliability have reached internationally advanced levels. The modular design also supports seamless integration with stacking machines, laser welders, and other equipment, meeting the strict requirements of fully enclosed production for solid-state batteries.
During the critical leap of solid-state batteries from laboratory to mass production, high-purity glove boxes are not just simple operating platforms, but vital infrastructure safeguarding material safety, process stability, and continuous productivity. The powerful combination of a dual-column purification system and a high-sealing structure provides solid technical support for the safe mass production of sulfide-based solid-state batteries.
