Ionblox, an American battery company founded in 2017, develops stable lithium-ion batteries with a high energy density for electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) and electric vehicles (EVs) using advanced silicon based anode.
Challenges: EV lithium battery
Lithium batteries are widely used in consumer electronics due to their relatively high energy density. The market for electric cars has grown in recent years. There is a growing demand for batteries with higher energy density and more stable cycling performance.
Silicon oxide (SiOₓ, 0.1≤ x < 1.9, ) can incorporate a relatively larger amount of lithium ions than conventional graphite anodes, Therefore, SiOₓ can exhibit a larger specific capacity. However, it has been observed that SiOₓ has a capacity that fades relatively quickly with cell cycling, which is undesirable for vehicle applications.
The silicon oxide based anodes generally exhibit a large irreversible capacity loss (IRCL) during the initial charge of the cell. Loss of capacity is typically associated with corresponding irreversible changes to the materials during the initial charge of the cell, such as the formation of a solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) layer between the anode active material and the electrolyte. The high IRCL of a silicon oxide based anode can consume a significant portion of the capacity available for the battery's energy output, resulting in a battery with low energy.
Ionblox Technology
Ionblox develops stable lithium ion batteries with a high energy density for eVTOL and EVs. Ionblox has developed an advanced silicon based anode that comprises silicon oxide blended with supplementary lithium, graphite, conductive nanocarbon, and a composite binder composed of high tensile strength polyimide and elastic polymer. The combination of this silicon oxide based anode with a high performing cathode and high voltage electrolyte achieves batteries with a high energy density and stable cycle of over 600 cycles.
The diagram below depicts the structure of Ionblox’s lithium ion battery cell.
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