BioSolar, a developer of energy storage technology and materials, has completed the lab phase and has begun the engineering phase of its development of a silicon (Si) alloy anode material. In September 2016, BioSolar, which up to that point had been focusing primarily on its development of a “Super Cathode”, announced it had begun development of an anode technology as well. ( Earlier post .)

Lab testing showed that in a half-cell, BioSolar’s Si alloy anode had specific capacity of 1,235 mAh/g with 95.3% of capacity retention, as compared to the best-known competitor’s 1,181 mAh/g specific capacity with 91.0% capacity retention. Further, BioSolar’s Si alloy anode demonstrated more than 99.8% of cycle (charge-discharge) efficiency during 100 cycles of operation with lithium metal half-cell.

A full cell battery incorporating BioSolar’s Si Alloy anode and the highest capacity cathode commercially available (lithium nickel cobalt aluminum oxide cathode with specific capacity of 180 mAh/g at 4.3V), exhibited 99.6% of capacity retention over 50 cycles. BioSolar’s initial target for its Si alloy anode development is 620 mAh/g at the full cell configuration, but further enhancement will allow achieving 1000 mAh/g in the near future, the company said.

The engineering phase focuses on designing and testing the electrodes based on the company’s Si alloy anode material, as well as full cell design and evaluation with commercially available high capacity cathodes.