Dutch battery startup LeydenJar’s silicon anode tech could pose a challenge to China | TechCrunch

Battery material start Leydenjar The round of 13 million euros ($15.2 million) has been closed to expand its manufacturing of silicon anode technology for a “U.S.-based consumer electronics company” that he declined to be named.

The Netherlands-based startup will use the funding and a €10 million commitment from US clients to build the first phase of its facility, Plantone, in Eindhoven, Netherlands, which will open in 2027. Investors Exantia and Invest-NL led the stage.

Today, most of the world’s lithium-ion batteries and the graphite anodes in it are made in China.

Silicon anode can Subvert this relationship At the same time, it also greatly improves the performance of lithium-ion batteries. Although slow and steady progress has doubled their energy density In the past decadeLeydenjar said its pure silicon anodes can enhance them by 50% over traditional graphite anodes.

Battery manufacturers have long known this, but the subtle nature of silicon prevents them from combining large quantities. Silicon tends to expand when storing lithium ions, and without some structure to support it, it will quickly collapse through continuous charge cycles.

To compensate, silicon anode startups have designed various scaffolding to prevent things from breaking down. Leydenjar uses plasma vapor deposition to grow a spongy silicon column on a thin piece of copper. Those spongy cylinders expand and contract, filling the space between them when lithium is contained.

The company says the silicon structure can charge faster and have a lower carbon footprint. It can withstand more than 450 charge cycles before losing more than 80% of its capacity, and the number shows progress, but there are no 1,000 cycles of automakers typically shoot.

When electric cars on the road map of Ledenjar Silicon Its silicon anode material is then introduced.

Leydenjar is ahead of it in order to get into the electric car. Automakers usually need years of data before they can qualify for new batteries, and it can take years to build large factories to meet demand. Still, the battery industry hasn’t solved anything, and if the company can demonstrate that its materials can offer performance changes without sacrificing durability or manufacturability, it will find a large number of eager buyers.