Our patented process enables the production of high-performance anodes from pure silicon on an industrial scale
Central to our technology platform is Flash Lamp Annealing (FLA) used to generate stable nanostructures in a layer of pure silicon. For this purpose, conventional copper carrier films are coated with a thin layer of pure silicon, for example by chemical vapor deposition, sputtering or via an electron beam evaporator. We then use a high-power flash lamp to create a unique nanostructure that firmly interconnects copper and silicon in the form of dendrites and to create microscopic perforations and voids in the silicon layer. At the same time, the surface of the anode remains planar and can therefore easily be sealed. Hereby all known problems of pure silicon anodes such as volume expansion, contact loss and solid-electrolyte interface phase are minimized. We have already been able to optimize the production of the nanostructure to such an extent that excellent values for capacity and charge rate can be achieved in the lab.
The NorcSi anode is designed for the mass market
By creating a thin film of pure silicon, we can produce anodes at an industrial scale within a closed-loop production process using roll-to-roll technology on 180 mm standard carrier films. High scalability is another unique selling point that distinguishes us significantly in comparison to all other approaches such as silicon nanowires or nanoparticles, which are much more complicated and are mainly produced using sheet-to-sheet processes.