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2026-10-27
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Li-Ion Battery Technology
Patent Highlights – Free Version

Thickness-matched insulating spacers on alternate electrode bodies against misalignment short circuits in stacked sulfide all-solid-state cells, atomic-layer-deposited Al2O3 interlayers suppressing SiC formation between porous carbon and deposited silicon in silicon-carbon anodes, and carbon coatings of at least 8 mass% on lithium-excess Mn–Ti disordered rock-salt oxide positive electrodes

Prospective High Impact Advancements

⚡
Electrolytes
All-Solid & Solid-Liquid
Toyota
Insulating polyimide tape spacer (80 μm) on the negative current collector foil of alternate electrode bodies, filling the gap between that foil and the neighboring body's positive electrode layer at the negative tab side of sulfide all-solid-state stacks
Issue addressed: short circuits between adjacent electrode bodies from stacking misalignment
AESC
Slurry-cast argyrodite sulfide membrane (styrene-butadiene rubber binder, isobutyl isobutyrate solvent) dried at low temperature to a residual solvent window of 0.10–0.43 μg/cm2 instead of near-complete solvent removal
σ: 2.82 × 10−3 S/cm, ambient drying only
Adden Energy
Separator blending lithium-stable Li6PS5Cl with lithium-reactive Li10SnP2S12 (1 : 1 by mass) cast into a nonwoven fabric, the reactive phase claimed to expand into voids along dendrite paths
Retention: ≈88% @≈300 cycles
−
Anode
Negative Electrode
Shanghai Shanshan New Material
Al2O3 interlayer (5 nm) grown by atomic layer deposition on a microporous carbon scaffold before silane deposition, suppressing SiC formation during 700°C acetylene carbon coating and preserving amorphous silicon
FCE: 90.7%
Samsung SDI
Silicon nanowires (≈48 mass%) grown from silane on gold particles reduced inside the pores of porous hard carbon, sealed by an acetylene-derived amorphous carbon coating
Retention: 85% @1,000 cycles
POSCO Future M
Porous silicon formed by vacuum sublimation of magnesium from Mg2Si (750°C, ≈−0.1 MPa gauge), followed by hydrochloric acid washing to 0.04 mass% residual Mg
FCE: 95.8%, back-calculated to silicon
+
Cathode
Positive Electrode
LG Energy Solution
Lithium-excess disordered rock-salt Li1.2(Mn2+,Mn3+)0.400Ti0.399O2 with Mn and Ti as the only transition metals, ball-milled with carbon black to a 10 mass% carbon coating
Init. capacity: 276 mAh/g @45°C
BASF Shanshan Battery Materials
Spinel Li1.033Sr0.003Al0.051Ti0.010
Nb0.013Mg0.018Mn1.872O4 co-doped on the Mn site with divalent to pentavalent cations, with an alumina coating
Cycles to 70% capacity: 860 @45°C
Umicore
Ti added with Zr before the first sintering of mid-Ni NMC (Ni0.62Mn0.31Co0.07 precursor), locating it in the lattice rather than at the particle surface
Surface-to-bulk Ti ratio: 2.2 (XPS / ICP-OES)
Benchmarking Experiments in Patents ⓘ
These benchmarks are drawn directly from experiments reported in the patents, where an inventive example incorporating the claimed innovation is compared against a comparative example that omits it while keeping the cell configuration, chemistry, and test conditions otherwise equivalent.
Ionic Conductivity of Sulfide Membranes Dried at Low Temperature into the Residual Solvent Window (AESC)
2.82 × 10−3 S/cm
5.4 × 10−4 S/cm
Isobutyl isobutyrate-cast membrane dried at 25°C for 24 hours to 0.17 μg/cm2 residual solvent vs. the same membrane dried at 60°C for 1 hour (0.47 μg/cm2) • ionic conductivity, discs pressed at 500 MPa and held at 25 MPa
First Charge Capacity with Atomic-Layer-Deposited Al2O3 Interlayer Between Porous Carbon and Silicon (Shanghai Shanshan New Material)
1,754.4 mAh/g
503.4 mAh/g
5 nm Al2O3 interlayer grown by atomic layer deposition before silicon deposition vs. the same porous carbon scaffold without interlayer • first charge capacity, half-cells against lithium metal, 0.01–1.5 V, 0.1 A/g
Initial Discharge Capacity of Disordered Rock-Salt Oxide Limited to Mn and Ti (LG Energy Solution)
276 mAh/g
249 mAh/g
Mn2+/Mn3+ and Ti4+ as the only transition metals in lithium-excess disordered rock-salt oxide vs. partial Nb5+ substitution for Mn and Ti, both with 10 mass% carbon coating • initial discharge capacity, half-cells against lithium metal, 0.1 C discharge, 2.0–4.65 V, 45°C
Mn Dissolution from Multi-Cation Co-Doped Spinel LiMn2O4 (BASF Shanshan Battery Materials)
46 ppm
505 ppm
Mg, Al, Ti, Nb and Sr co-doping on the Mn site of alumina-coated spinel vs. the same alumina-coated spinel without dopants • Mn dissolution (ICP), charged electrode stored in electrolyte for 2 weeks, 60°C storage (lower is better)

Recently Published Company Chapters
(Solid-state / Semi-solid Li-ion Battery Innovation & Patent Review)

🏢
USA
Nuvvon
Technology Assessment: Nuvvon positions as a polymer electrolyte licensor rather than a cell maker – offering a formulation presented as drop-in compatible with existing lithium-ion lines. The chapter examines how its polymer hosts position against the room-temperature ionic conductivity barrier of this electrolyte class, why uniform film formation at cell-relevant area remains the central scale-up question, and how public statements align with what the patent portfolio reveals about development priorities.
Product Development Pathway
(4 R&D Concepts)
Siloxane-backbone polymer host with grafted ion-solvating side chains – formulated in both salt-rich and polymer-rich membrane variants to lift room-temperature ionic conductivity while extending oxidative stability beyond the limits of conventional polyether hosts. Electrolyte layer solution-cast directly onto the composite cathode within a mapped membrane-formation window, so that one formulation serves as both separator and catholyte and fuses with the electrode rather than being laminated as a preformed film. Further concepts address film elasticity and ion dissociation in salt-rich polymer matrices, and the extension of ionic conductivity and voltage stability toward high-voltage cathodes.
Key synergies between R&D concepts: A single cast-on-cathode architecture that every polymer host reaches the cell through – complementary chemistries potentially allowing interface tuning toward either electrode while ionic conductivity, voltage stability and formability are de-risked in parallel.
Read Full Chapter →
🏢
Japan
Ohara
Technology Assessment: Ohara positions as a materials supplier rather than a cell maker – its oxide glass-ceramic powder already sells into conventional liquid-electrolyte cells, while the same material is re-specified for a co-fired oxide stack. The chapter examines how near-term additive commercialization complements longer-term solid-state development, why joining electrodes to a fired electrolyte remains the central scale-up question, and where patent filings and public claims converge.
Product Development Pathway
(5 R&D Concepts)
Crystallographically specified glass-ceramic powder, with unit-cell geometry held in range by a co-existing secondary crystal phase to lift low-temperature power when dosed into a conventional liquid-electrolyte cathode. Oxide electrolyte composition deliberately held off its ideal stoichiometry, so particle surfaces stay reactive toward an added glass and ionic conductivity potentially survives the low-temperature co-firing an oxide stack requires rather than collapsing at grain boundaries. Further concepts address densification without applied pressure at temperatures electrode materials can tolerate, acid-driven capacity fade in conventional cells, and cathode interface stability on a different all-solid-state platform.
Key synergies between R&D concepts: One melt-derived glass-ceramic body graded, re-specified or fired across two complementary tracks – additive grades qualifying in liquid-electrolyte cells while composition and sintering-aid design potentially open a co-fired oxide stack, enabling parallel de-risking.
Read Full Chapter →
🏢
USA
PolyPlus
Technology Assessment: PolyPlus pursues two tracks – all-solid-state sulfide glass, its separator drawn from the melt rather than pressed from powder, and aqueous lithium–sulfur, assessed in the chapter's Technology Assessment without a concepts section. The chapter examines how melt drawing positions against the boundary defects behind lithium penetration, why flaw control on a continuously drawn web is the central scale-up question, and how the patent portfolio's scope compares with public positioning.
Product Development Pathway
(5 R&D Concepts – Sulfide Glass Track)
Melt-drawn freestanding vitreous sulfide separator, formed so that neither major surface contacts tooling and the sheet carries none of the inter-particle boundaries that act as dendrite initiation sites in electrolytes pressed from powder. Lithium-free moisture barrier film that seals the hydrolysis-sensitive glass during handling and converts in place into a conducting interphase once lithium is deposited onto it, with a liquid-wetted transfer route as a parallel handling option. Further concepts address stable lithium contact without external stack pressure, continuous ion transport through thick positive electrodes at high areal capacity, and defect control throughout continuous separator production.
Key Synergies
A single glass chemistry potentially spanning separator and positive electrode, joined to lithium by two independent interface routes – parallel de-risking of dendrite resistance, moisture handling and areal capacity for a manufacturable lithium-metal cell.