Innovative German Business Secures 10 Million Euros Investment for Silicon Anode Research and Development
In a groundbreaking development, NorcSi, a German startup, is set to revolutionize the battery industry with its innovative roll-to-roll production of pure silicon anodes. This process promises to overcome traditional durability challenges associated with silicon anodes, making them a viable and cost-effective option for mass production.
NorcSi's process, which aims to address one of the major challenges of silicon anodes, has garnered attention due to its potential to significantly reduce costs. Silicon, due to its atomic structure, can absorb up to ten times more lithium ions than the currently prevalent anode material, graphite. This high energy content, however, has been a double-edged sword, as silicon expands up to 300%-400% during charge-discharge cycles, causing structural instability and reduced cycle life.
NorcSi's roll-to-roll approach addresses this issue by allowing continuous, high-throughput production of silicon anode materials with controlled nanostructuring and composite integration. This leads to enhanced mechanical integrity and cycle stability, supporting the high capacity advantage of silicon while mitigating rapid capacity fade.
The new production line, currently under construction, will produce anodes for initial high-performance applications and field tests in car batteries. This line is being built in a new extension of the Innovation Hub on the Weinberg Campus in Halle and is expected to start operation in spring 2026.
The idea for NorcSi dates back to a research project in 2013, based at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR) and the Technische Universität Bergakademie Freiberg (TU Bergakademie Freiberg). The company, founded in 2020 by Udo Reichmann and Marcel Neubert, has received a €10.7 million funding round from three investors, including Millennium Venture Capital AG, IBG risk capital fund IV, managed by bmp Ventures AG, and the European Battery Research Institute GmbH.
NorcSi's process allows it to control the previously critical volume change in silicon anodes. The technology used by NorcSi to stabilize the volume change involves coating and tempering copper foils with silicon in a continuous process using high-power flash lamps. This innovation enables roll-to-roll production, which is crucial for cost-effective production and use in the mass production of battery cells.
Batteries with silicon anodes can have higher energy density, increased range in electric vehicles, and can be charged faster. A mid-sized electric vehicle with an 80 kWh battery and silicon anodes could achieve a range of about 1,016 kilometers and be charged from 20% to 80% in just six minutes.
The collaboration between NorcSi and TU Bergakademie Freiberg continues, including on a feasibility study for industrial-scale roll-to-roll production. With this breakthrough, NorcSi's roll-to-roll manufacturing of pure silicon anodes represents a significant step forward in the commercialization of silicon batteries with higher energy density and longer lifetime performance.
[1] NorcSi. (2021). NorcSi's roll-to-roll process revolutionizes the battery industry. Retrieved from https://www.norcsi.de/en/news/norcsis-roll-to-roll-process-revolutionizes-the-battery-industry/
[2] NorcSi. (2021). NorcSi's technology enables scalable, cost-efficient manufacturing of silicon anodes. Retrieved from https://www.norcsi.de/en/news/norcsis-technology-enables-scalable-cost-efficient-manufacturing-of-silicon-anodes/
[3] NorcSi. (2021). NorcSi's breakthrough technology stabilizes the volume change of silicon anodes. Retrieved from https://www.norcsi.de/en/news/norcsis-breakthrough-technology-stabilizes-the-volume-change-of-silicon-anodes/
Science and technology are forging new paths in the world of energy storage, with a German startup named NorcSi pioneering the roll-to-roll production of pure silicon anodes for batteries. This innovation, rooted in research from 2013, is designed to address the challenges of silicon anodes, offering a cost-effective solution due to its high energy content, which is ten times greater than graphite. The new production line, set to operate in spring 2026, will leverage the science behind NorcSi's technology to create anodes for high-performance applications, paving the way for batteries with improved energy density, longer range in electric vehicles, and faster charging capabilities.
