Swedish startup testing silicon anode battery material

Sweden-based Green14, a plasma silicon startup, said its silicon-based anode material is being tested by the battery group at RISE, Sweden’s national research organization.

Sweden-based Green14, a hydrogen-plasma silicon startup, announced tests of its silicon-based anode material at RISE, Sweden’s national research organization.

The battery team at RISE has received the first batch of silicon-based anode material produced by Green14’s novel hydrogen plasma pilot reactor installed at the KTH Royal Institute of Technology.

“Silicon anodes offer a step change in lithium-ion battery performance, enabling significantly higher energy density, extended device runtimes, and increased driving ranges for electric vehicles,” Adam Podgorski told pv magazine.

After testing, the next step is for RISE to produce a coin cell, which is a small, round test battery about the size of a watch battery, to evaluate the Green14 material’s real-world performance. “Our ambition at Green14 is to provide green, low-carbon and cost-competitive silicon materials to these innovators, using only quartz and hydrogen as feedstocks,” Podgorski said.

Podgorski said that several manufacturers are exploring silicon to “unlock next-generation” battery performance, along with the likes of specialists, such as Amprius and Sila Nanotechnologies, among others.

Green14's silicon and silane 100 kW plasma reactor has the capacity to produce 5 kg/h of high-purity silicon or the same amount of silane.

Founded in 2021, it is pursuing a technology licensing strategy, according to Podgorski. It has been tailoring development for the solar PV and battery industries, but there is potential to be active in a wider range of metal processing value chains.

“Our plasma metallization platform is highly adaptable, enabling the production not only of silicon and silane for energy applications, but also of high-value metals including titanium, tungsten, vanadium and rare earth elements,” he said, highlighting its potential for decarbonization of critical industrial applications.