Leydenjar’s silicon anodes pass key consumer market test

Leydenjar’s silicon anode survives 500 charge cycles with acceptable performance loss, marking another step toward commercialization for the Leiden- and Eindhoven-based startup. “By achieving 500 successful charge cycles, we’ve demonstrated that our anode is suitable for mass applications,” explains VP of corporate development Ewout Lubberman. “Since we don’t need to apply external pressure, we can keep the anode small enough for consumer applications such as power tools and smartphones.”

Silicon can store far more lithium ions than graphite, the current standard anode material in lithium-ion batteries, potentially boosting battery capacity by up to 50 percent. However, silicon expands when charged. This issue is usually mitigated by applying substantial counterpressure (approximately 1 megapascal), but that’s unfeasible in compact devices such as mobile phones and smartwatches. Leydenjar takes another approach by using a porous silicon structure that allows room for expansion. As a result, no external pressure is needed and the structure remains intact. The battery retains 80 percent of its capacity after 500 cycles and 70 percent after 700 cycles. Those performance levels meet industry requirements for mass adoption.