Nexeon produces world’s highest capacity Lithium-ion battery

Imperial College spin-out Nexeon has succeeded in producing lithium-ion batteries with the world’s highest capacity for their size. Based on Nexeon’s Silicon anode technology, the cells have a capacity of 3.2Ah. This is higher than that of the best commercially available lithium-ion batteries which offer capacities of between 2.5Ah and 3.1Ah

According to the company - a finalist in this year’s Engineer Technology and Innovation Awards  - the breakthrough could lead to longer operating times for consumer electronic products and greater range for electric vehicles.

Produced at Nexeon’s pilot plant in Oxfordshire, the batteries are based on the firm’s Silicon anode technology. As previously reported by The Engineer, Silicon  - which allows batteries to hold ten times the charge of cells with Carbon anodes - has long been viewed as one of the keys to improved battery performance. By modifying the physical form of the silicon Nexeon has addressed fundamental problems resulting from the material’s physical instability during charge cycles.

The firm has also developed production methods for its cells that could keep costs equal to those of conventional carbon anodes, and plans to deliver cells with a capacity of 4Ah at some point next year.