Altech Batteries (ASX:ATC) surges ahead with groundbreaking 55% energy density boost

Altech Batteries (ASX:ATC) has made a significant leap forward in the lithium-ion battery industry, achieving an impressive 55% increase in energy retention capacity.

This breakthrough comes as a result of the company’s continued advancement of its proprietary Silumina Anodes™ technology, which has now surpassed the previous 30% energy gain, offering a game-changing solution to one of the industry’s most complex challenges: incorporating silicon into anode materials.

Silicon has long been recognised for its tremendous potential as a battery anode material, primarily due to its energy capacity, which is ten times higher than that of graphite.

However, despite this advantage, the widespread adoption of silicon has been hindered by a critical issue—during battery charge cycles, silicon particles expand by up to 300%, which leads to significant swelling.

This expansion has historically caused severe problems, including battery failure and a drastically reduced lifespan.

Altech Batteries recent breakthrough addresses this persistent challenge by employing a method that disperses alumina-coated silicon particles within the voids of graphite.

This innovative approach mitigates both the swelling of the silicon and the resulting capacity loss, allowing for enhanced performance and longevity in lithium-ion batteries.

According to Altech’s Managing Director, Iggy Tan, “Our breakthrough technology represents a major step forward in unlocking the full potential of silicon in lithium-ion batteries, and we believe it has the potential to revolutionise the battery industry.”

Tan’s confidence is grounded in the company’s intensive R&D efforts, which have not only increased energy retention capacity but also stabilised battery performance over repeated charge cycles.

Key Highlights:

• 55% increase in energy density: Altech’s proprietary composite anode material demonstrated an average energy retention capacity of 500 mAh/g, significantly outperforming the standard 320 mAh/g graphite-only anodes.
• Long-term stability: The batteries show strong cycling performance, addressing common issues like swelling and rapid degradation.
• Future plans: Altech has commissioned a pilot plant in Germany to scale up production, with a Definitive Feasibility Study (DFS) projecting a pre-tax NPV of €684 million and an internal rate of return of 34%.

Dr. Jingyuan Liu, who leads the company’s R&D team, remarked, “Through spherification of silicon particles and the innovative application of alumina coating, we have minimised the damage caused by silicon expansion, solving two of the industry’s critical challenges.”

As Altech moves towards commercialising this next-generation battery material, it stands poised to reshape the energy storage landscape, particularly in sectors such as electric vehicles and renewable energy.

Altech’s ability to address the limitations of silicon could unlock new efficiencies and possibilities in the growing demand for high-performance, sustainable energy solutions.

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