Battery materials startup Leydenjar has closed a round of 13 million euros ($15.2 million) and expanded the production of silicon anode technology for the unnamed “large US consumer electronics company.”
The Netherlands-based startup will use funds along with a commitment of 10 million euros from US clients to build the first phase of its facility in Eindhoven, the Netherlands, which will open in 2027.
Today, most of the world’s lithium-ion batteries, and the graphite anodes within them, are made in China.
Silicon anodes can overturn that relationship and dramatically improve the performance of lithium-ion batteries. Although slow, pervasive advances have doubled the energy density over the past decade, Leidanger says its pure silicon anode can increase its traditional graphite anodes by 50%.
Battery manufacturers have known this for a long time, but the delicate nature of silicon prevents massive incorporation. Silicon tends to expand when storing lithium ions, and without some structure to support it, it will quickly collapse in successive charge cycles.
To compensate, silicon anode startups have devised a variety of scaffolding to ensure things don’t break. Leydenjar uses plasma vapor deposition to grow a sponge-like silicon column with a thin sheet of copper. These spongy columns expand and contract, allowing them to fill in the space between them when they are loaded with lithium.
The company says the silicon construction allows for faster charging and lower carbon footprint. It can withstand over 450 charge cycles before losing more than 80% of its capacity. This is a number that shows progress but is not as good as a 1,000-cycle car manufacturer normally shoots.
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Also, EVS is on the Leydenjar roadmap, but the company is starting with Consumer Electronics. This is the path for competitor Sila to introduce silicon anode materials.
To get into EVS, Leydenjar has a longer journey than that. Automakers typically need years of data before qualifying new batteries, and building large factories to meet demand can take years to fund and complete. Still, nothing has been resolved in the battery industry and if the company can prove that its materials can offer incremental changes in performance without sacrificing durability or manufacturing potential, they will find enthusiastic buyers.
