Patent details
Status
US and PCT patents filed
Inventors
Afshin Pendashteh, Juan José Vilatela García, Sibani Biswal, Quan Nguyen, Matteo Pasquali, Ratnika Gupta, Steven Williams
Application number
63/625,641, PCT/US2025/013097
Applicant
IMDEA Materials Institute and RICE University
Summary
Lightweight, high-performance anode technology for lithium-ion batteries that significantly increases energy density and durability while reducing environmental impact. By integrating silicon and carbon nanotube fabrics in a unique composite structure, the resulting batteries achieve enhanced specific capacity and extended cycle life, enabling lighter, more sustainable energy storage for electric mobility and grid applications.
Description
Replaces traditional metallic current collectors with an ultralight carbon nanotube fabric and combines it with a silicon-based active layer using a proprietary fabrication route. The outcome is a self-supporting anode with both mechanical integrity and excellent conductivity, thereby eliminating the need for copper foils and reducing inactive battery mass.
Advantages
- Significant increase in cell-level energy density, verified through modelling and experimental validation.
- Significant weight reduction via the replacement of heavy metal current collectors with CNT fabrics.
- Exceptional cycle stability — over 700 charge/discharge cycles at high capacity.
- Environmentally beneficial — potential to reduce emissions from copper manufacturing.
- Compatible with existing cathode chemistries (LFP, NMC, NCA, etc.) and scalable industrial processes.
Contact
Technology Transfer and Innovation Office, IMDEA Materials Institute
Email: techtransfer@imdeamaterials.org
Telephone: +34 91 5493422