Altech Batteries Ltd (ASX:ATC, OTC:ALTHF) has attracted fresh industry attention after one of the world’s largest electric vehicle battery manufacturers initiated a formal collaboration to assess the company’s Silumina Anodes™ technology.
The global battery group — which approached Altech unsolicited — has executed a mutual non-disclosure agreement (NDA) to begin a confidential technical evaluation of the company’s silicon-enhanced anode materials. The move marks a notable validation of Altech’s recent technical gains as it pushes towards commercialisation of its alumina-coated silicon products.
Samples delivered for testing in China
As part of the engagement, Altech has produced and shipped Silumina Anodes™ samples to the battery group’s evaluation laboratories in China. The samples were developed under chief technical officer Dr Jingyuan Lui, whose team has led recent advancements in the company’s proprietary alumina-coating and spherisation process.
Early discussions captured strong interest from the battery group’s technical team, which noted that across the sector, silicon additions rarely demonstrate meaningful performance improvements at low loadings. Silicon expansion, unstable solid-electrolyte interphase(SEI) formation and rapid cycle fade have long hampered commercial adoption.
By contrast, Altech’s alumina-coated silicon particles have delivered stability and retention at only modest inclusion levels — a point the battery group reportedly described as uncommon among global suppliers. Altech said this early feedback reinforces the disruptive potential of its coating process.
The partner has now requested coating trials on its own graphite formulations. Several kilograms of graphite have been shipped to Altech’s Perth laboratory, where Dr Lui’s team will apply the alumina-coating technology before returning the finished batches for benchmarking against the group’s internal standards.
Updated long-cycle results strengthen case
Alongside the collaboration update, Altech has reported new results from its ongoing long-cycle testing program. The company has now achieved 83% capacity retention after 1,000 charge–discharge cycles using a 5% Silumina Anodes™ addition to a standard graphite anode.
This follows the major performance breakthrough announced on October 9, when Altech confirmed it delivered 88.5% capacity retention after 500 cycles with a 5% addition.
Read more: Altech Batteries achieves breakthrough battery life with Silumina Anodes™ technology
The company says the results place Silumina Anodes™ among the leading next-generation silicon-enhanced anode materials currently under development globally.
Altech attributes the gains to its manufacturing approach, which coats submicron silicon particles with a nanolayer of high-purity alumina before rounding them into spherical geometries.
SEM Image, An Alumina Treated Silicon Sphere.
The design allows the particles to occupy microscopic voids within the graphite matrix, expanding and contracting freely during cycling while maintaining electrode integrity and electrical connectivity.
SEM Image, Silicon Sphere Distributed in Graphite Voids.
Building on early feedback
Altech managing director Iggy Tan said the approach from one of the world’s dominant EV battery producers underscores the commercial potential of the company’s work.
“Their early feedback, particularly noting they have not seen silicon additions perform this effectively at such low levels, reinforces the significance of our breakthrough,” he said. “We are excited to advance this collaboration under the NDA and look forward to demonstrating how Altech’s coating technology can further enhance their graphite and anode performance.”
Broader project portfolio
Silumina Anodes™ sits alongside Altech’s work on its CERENERGY® solid-state sodium-chloride battery joint venture with Fraunhofer IKTS, and the company’s AMPower SNC battery distribution partnership spanning Australia, Europe and the United States.
Read more: Altech SNC batteries outperform lithium/lead-acid in South African UPS & telecom
Altech has completed a definitive feasibility study for an 8,000 tonnes-per-annum Silumina Anodes™ plant in Saxony, Germany, and is currently constructing a pilot facility to support customer qualification programs.