ION Storage Systems reports progress with lithium metal solid-state batteries

The US solid-state battery developer ION Storage Systems has reached the next stage on the road to practical suitability of its anode-free solid-state battery - especially in terms of longevity.

According to ION Storage Systems, the US military has achieved more than 125 cycles with less than five per cent capacity loss using its own solid-state battery cells – which means a potential of more than 1,000 cycles in future deployments. The patented technology based on lithium metal has the special features of an anode-free design and a 3D ceramic structure.

The term “anode-free” is of course not a technically correct statement; the battery still has a positive and a negative pole. However, as such “anode-free” battery cells do not require the classic systems for anode production and for processing the graphite used there, this term has become established in the battery industry. The remaining anode is made of metal. As such a metal anode is much easier to produce than the coated graphite or silicon anodes, the elimination of these production facilities contributes significantly to the cost savings.

According to the developers, the solid-state battery also requires neither compression nor a swelling buffer, no extensive cooling system and no major fire protection barriers. “ION’s SSB requires no compression, swell budget, extensive cooling system or heavy fire barriers; combined with the ability to accommodate existing and future cathode technologies translates to simple and cost-effective manufacturing at scale,” writes ION Storage Systems.

According to the company from Maryland, it has worked with the US Department of Defence to test its battery and is aiming to use it in electric vehicles in the future. Thanks to a supply agreement for ceramic powder concluded last year with Saint-Gobain, which has also invested in ION, the patented solid-state batteries are to be produced “on a large scale”. In the summer of 2022, ION Storage had concluded a $30 million funding round to expand production.

“We’re not merely meeting expectations; we’re setting the standard,” says Ricky Hanna, CEO of ION Storage Systems. “Our dedicated team of battery scientists work tirelessly to develop better, safer, and more energy-dense batteries. Since day one, our objective has been to craft an advanced solid-state battery that offers a more powerful, reliable and safer battery, manufactured at scale, and this achievement is a pivotal step towards that vision.”

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