Critical Resources Limited (ASX:CRR) Cathode, solid-state lithium electrolyte and conductor deposited in single dry step advances manufacturing pathway

Critical Resources Limited has reported a milestone in its solid-state battery evaluation program, achieving the deposition of a complete composite layer incorporating cathode material, solid-state electrolyte and a carbon nanotube conductive network in a single dry step.

The process forms a dense coating on aluminium foil under room temperature conditions and removes solvents, binders, drying ovens and furnaces from the manufacturing sequence.

Highlights

• Single-step deposition of cathode, LLZO reference electrolyte and carbon nanotube network
• Dry Spray Deposition process operating at room temperature
• No solvents, binders, drying ovens or furnaces
• Composite layer formed on aluminium substrate (~15 microns thick)
• Coin cell electrochemical testing underway
• Pouch cell development in progress for independent evaluation

The Dry Spray Deposition process builds a battery layer by depositing cathode material in a single room-temperature pass, forming a dense and uniform composite structure.

The process integrates lithium iron phosphate cathode material, lithium lanthanum zirconium oxide solid electrolyte and a carbon nanotube conductive network within the same deposited layer, addressing interface formation between components during manufacture.

The electrolyte used in the trial is LLZO, described as a reference solid electrolyte used to validate the deposition process, and is distinct from the Company’s proprietary amorphous solid-state electrolyte currently under development.

Work continues within the US National Science Foundation supported Centre for Solid-State Electric Power Storage at the South Dakota School of Mines & Technology.

Critical Resources Managing Director, Tim Wither, commented:

“Depositing solid electrolyte, cathode and a carbon-nanotube conductive network in a single step, is a genuine milestone for our program. The hardest part of a solid-state battery is the join between the cathode and the electrolyte, and forming that join during manufacture — rather than pressing finished parts together afterwards — is exactly the kind of problem this technology is designed to solve.”

Coin cell electrochemical testing has commenced using a liquid electrolyte baseline, with full-format pouch cell development underway for independent evaluation.

Early electrochemical results are reported as consistent with expected cathode and electrolyte behaviour, with full characterisation ongoing.

Critical Resources continues parallel development of its amorphous solid-state electrolyte program, which has previously reported ionic conductivity of 3.2 mS cm⁻¹.

Both materials development and manufacturing pathway validation are being advanced under the structured CEPS research framework.

The milestone forms part of ongoing laboratory-stage evaluation of solvent-free manufacturing approaches for solid-state battery architectures, with further optimisation and progression toward pouch cell testing expected under the same program structure.

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