Dutch new lithium battery technology increases rechargeable battery capacity by 50%

The Netherlands Energy Research Center has developed a new lithium battery energy storage technology that is said to increase the storage capacity of rechargeable batteries by 50%. In order to commercialize this new invention, ECN also established a startup company, LeydenJar Technologies. 

The technology uses a pure silicon anode instead of the graphite anode traditionally used in lithium-ion batteries, which increases the component storage capacity of lithium-ion batteries by a factor of 10 and increases the storage capacity of the entire battery by 50%. However, the problem with using silicon crystals is that the battery expands as it is charged, causing the size of the assembly to increase by a factor of three, which may cause the silicon layer to become brittle and cause the battery material to chip.

ECN uses plasma-based nanotechnology to align silicon pillars on copper foil to create enough space for possible expansion to keep the battery stable. For commercial applications, this silicon layer will eventually need to be as thin as 10 microns, which is almost 10 times thinner than a piece of paper.

ECN researcher Wim Soppe has been exploring this material since it began developing thin-film solar cells 12 years ago. “For solar cells, this material is not stable,” he said. “We found this technology to be very promising for lithium-ion batteries.”

Sjoerd Wittkampf, ECN's technology transfer manager, said that the world is investing heavily in research and hopes to further improve lithium-ion batteries. “In this regard, there are major breakthroughs released almost every few weeks. These new findings usually focus on materials that can only be produced on a small scale in a laboratory environment.”

“The reason why ECN's development results are so optimistic is that the technology used to mass produce this material is close at hand because it is similar to the current production process for solar cells. We believe that this will help We have a unique advantage. After the establishment of LeydenJar Technologies, we will transfer this technology and eventually bring it to market, seeking the best fit between the battery industry and venture capitalists (VC).

LeydenJar Technologies co-founder Chris TIan Rood said, "Because of the widespread use of lithium-ion batteries, the newly formed company will focus on three main market segments, namely electric vehicles (EVs), consumer electronics, and renewable energy storage. ”

“The goal is to provide technology for large battery manufacturers. In future demonstration plants, we hope to produce silicon anodes for the first customers and demonstrate the competitiveness of this technology in mass production.”