Anode-free cells reach production, and the interface on the current collector

This month solid-state and anode-free cells moved further into production, and demand is spreading beyond EVs to drones and AI data centres.

Industry

Both are scaling up, but the figures are self-reported. For anode-free cells in particular, cycle life and production yield have not been disclosed. Independent validation is what will show where these cells really stand.

Research: current-collector interfaces and dendrite detection

KAIST: nanotube copper with an MXene coating. Published in Advanced Functional Materials by a KAIST team with Kyungpook National University and the National NanoFab Center. Secondary sputtering lithography forms tubes about 300 nm across and 150 nm tall on a copper current collector, giving roughly four times the lithium contact area of flat copper. A coating of MXene about 10 nm thick then helps form a LiF-rich protective layer.

Chinese Academy of Sciences: a dendrite-sensing solid electrolyte. Published in Nature Sensors. A composite solid electrolyte turns dendrite penetration into an electrical signal before an internal short occurs. It does not stop dendrites; it warns of them.

Both are lab-scale results; validation under commercial cell conditions is still to come.

Anode-free cells: how to read current collectors and interface layers

In an anode-free cell, the surface of the current collector is where lithium grows, so the collector and the thin functional layer on it decide much of the performance.

• Copper is not the only option. Stainless steel, nickel and titanium can work if they meet conductivity, electrochemical stability and cost requirements.
• Functional layers fall into three roles.

The FLUX view

Anode-free and lithium metal cells are entering high-value markets such as drones first. What they need now is a process that makes the functional layer on the current collector uniform at the nanometre scale, over large areas.