Thin lithium-metal anode foils for high-performance batteries

Lithium-metal anodes ready for pouch cell integration.
© Christian Beutler - Lithium-metal anodes ready for pouch cell integration.

CSEM’s advanced thin-film coating technologies and expertise in solid-electrolyte interphase (SEI) engineering enable breakthrough solutions in battery performance and longevity, paving the way for batteries with improved sustainability and higher performance.

Lithium-metal anodes represent a breakthrough in battery technology, offering unprecedented theoretical capacity, i.e., nearly ten times that of conventional graphite anodes. Through advanced manufacturing processes such as physical vapor deposition, lithium metal anodes are now emerging as a viable path to achieve higher energy density, improved charging capabilities, and reduced battery size.

What makes metallic lithium unique for batteries?

Lithium metal anode ready for coin cell integration
© Christian Beutler - Lithium-metal anode ready for coin cell integration.

Our R&D teams harness lithium metal's ultra-high energy density and low electrochemical potential to develop custom solutions for applications requiring compact, high-energy density batteries. These solutions span multiple industries, from electric vehicles and consumer electronics to medical devices. By optimizing the compatibility of solid electrolytes, CSEM enhances the stability and performance of lithium-metal batteries across a wide range of applications.

Our R&D engineers have made remarkable progress in electrode design through continuous refinement of manufacturing techniques and material science. Precision-engineered lithium interfaces and controlled lithium deposition mechanisms allow for stable cycling at high capacities. The development of ultra-thin lithium foil production methods and specialized solid-electrolyte interphase (SEI) layers enable battery designs with energy densities reaching 400 Wh/kg, making them ideal for next-generation energy storage solutions.

Our lithium-metal battery solutions

CSEM's Battery Innovation Hub is your strategic ally for developing future batteries offering enhanced performance and increased safety. Furthermore, the transfer of knowledge and technology enables you to accelerate innovation in next-generation lithium-metal batteries.

Our expertise in high-purity vacuum thermal evaporation for thin lithium-metal foils and SEI engineering enables the development of ultra-stable lithium-metal batteries with superior cycling performance.

Recent results show stable operation for over 500 cycles at 80% capacity retention in prototype cells.

Production of thin lithium-metal anode foils

Vacuum thermal evaporation for lithium-metal layer deposition
© Christian Beutler - Vacuum thermal evaporation for lithium-metal layer deposition

CSEM's advanced vacuum thermal evaporation and PVD technologies achieve precise control over lithium layer uniformity down to sub-10 nanometer levels, ensuring exceptional electrode quality. Our refined vacuum chamber design maintains ultra-low contamination levels while enabling rapid deposition rates of 0.2 μm per minute.

Through careful manipulation of deposition parameters, our team creates custom-made SEI interfaces that maximize ionic conductivity and reduce lithium dendrite formation.

Our pioneering multi-source configuration enables deposition of lithium and SEI, ensuring seamless integration of functional layers. This breakthrough has resulted in lithium-metal anodes capable of over 500 charge cycles with 80% capacity retention. To further extend the cycle life, the formation of a stable solid-electrolyte interface is crucial.

Solid-electrolyte interphase (SEI) engineering: enhancing stability and longevity in batteries with liquid electrolytes

Cycling performance in pouch cells of SEI engineering on evaporated Li-metal anode.
Cycling performance of solid-state pouch cells with LFP (2 mAh/cm²) / Li (25 µm) configuration, comparing standard lithium-metal anodes with CSEM's SEI-engineered interface.

SEI and interface engineering play a pivotal role in increasing lithium-metal battery cycle life and efficiency. SEI plays a crucial role in stabilizing lithium-metal anodes by forming a protective passivation layer that prevents unwanted side reactions. CSEM's engineering optimizes this layer to enhance ionic conductivity, reduce electrolyte decomposition, and minimize lithium consumption. The film is deposited in the same chamber as the one for Li-metal deposition, avoiding exposing it to atmosphere (which can create unwanted surface reactions). Our deposited SEI has a thickness in the range of few hundreds' nm with thickness uniformity of around 5% across the substrate surface of 13x13 cm2.

Our SEI strategy is to form composite films combining organic and inorganic materials in order to prevent dendrite formation while maintaining high ionic conductivity. Through controlled interface chemistry, CSEM has achieved over 500 cycles with 80% capacity retention in prototype pouch cells (cycled at 2mAh/cm2, at room temperature and without external pressure), a factor 1.5 times larger compared to uncoated Li-metal. This demonstrates the validity of our approach to stabilizing Li-metal anodes for the next generation of batteries.

Lithium-metal anodes for R&D in solid-state batteries

In-situ polymerization techniques developed at CSEM create (semi) solid polymer electrolytes that provide good interface properties with the active materials (anode and cathode). This method allows for seamless integration of the polymer electrolyte, requiring only an additional thermal treatment (after cell assembly) compared to current Li-ion batteries.

Additionally, such polymer layers can maintain continuous contact with the Li-metal anode during cycling. They have excellent ionic conductivity of up to 0.1 mS/cm and a wide electrochemical stability window of up to 4.5V.

The integration of such polymer electrolytes with our unique thin Li-metal (25 µm) paves the way for high-energy density, safety, and good cycling behavior. Recent results, in combination with a Ni-rich NMC, show excellent cycling performance up to 400 cycles at 1C rates (2 mA/cm2) with 80% capacity retention. 

This technology supports customization for multiple applications, from medical implants to electric vehicles (EVs).

Accelerate your battery innovation with CSEM's Li-metal expertise

With extensive expertise in thin-film lithium deposition, SEI stabilization, and protective coatings, we deliver scalable, cost-effective, and safe solutions tailored to industrial needs. Our advanced manufacturing techniques provide the highest purity lithium-metal anodes with superior long-term cycling performance.

Join us to advance next-generation battery technologies for EVs, aerospace, and high-density energy storage solutions.

Exploring the science behind Li-metal batteries

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