XBM USA and SiCAM Technologies have joined forces to develop a next-generation silicon-sulfur (Si-S) battery materials platform, combining SiCAM’s silicon-carbon (Si-C) anode technology with XBM’s lithium-sulfur (Li-S) cathode materials and advanced cell technologies.

 

The collaboration aims to unlock a high-energy-density battery platform that could offer a compelling alternative to conventional lithium-ion batteries, with initial applications targeting lightweight, power-intensive electric mobility technologies, including electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft (eVTOLs) and drones.

 

Silicon-sulfur chemistry is emerging as a promising next-generation battery technology, with the potential for substantially higher theoretical energy density than conventional lithium-ion batteries. 

 

The platform also draws on abundant materials: silicon, the second-most-abundant element in the Earth’s crust; sulfur, a byproduct of US petroleum refining; and lignin, an abundant byproduct of the US paper-pulping industry used in XBM’s lithium-sulfur cathode.

 

The partnership comes as the United States seeks to strengthen domestic battery manufacturing and reduce its dependence on overseas suppliers. Asia, predominantly China, currently controls approximately 80–95% of the global battery cell and materials supply chain.

 

For US battery manufacturers, the search is intensifying for lower-cost, domestically sourced chemistries that can reduce exposure to foreign-controlled supply chains while opening the door to next-generation performance.

 

XBM and SiCAM aim to capitalise on that opportunity by combining complementary technologies into a silicon-sulfur battery platform designed initially for high-energy-density applications.

 

Jon Shan, Chief Technology Officer of XBM USA, said, "Our near-term objective is to optimize our high-capacity Li-S cathode and SiCAM's Si-C anode in a first-of-its-kind silicon-sulfur battery platform, initially targeting high-energy-density, lightweight eMobility battery applications such as eVTOLs and drones."

 

A key differentiator in the collaboration is SiCAM’s proprietary silicon-anode material and manufacturing process.

 

While many silicon-carbon anode developers use silane-based chemical vapour deposition (CVD), SiCAM uses chlorosilane (TCS) silicon in a fluidized-bed chemical vapor deposition (FB-CVD) process.

 

The company says its approach creates a bonded silicon-composite primary structure designed to address one of silicon’s biggest challenges in batteries: expansion of up to 300% during charging and discharging. Managing this swelling is critical to improving battery durability and performance over repeated cycles.

 

On the cathode side, XBM is developing a high-capacity lithium-sulfur material designed to improve sulfur utilisation, cycle life and cell-level energy density. Its approach uses abundant industrial byproducts, including sulfur and lignin, to support a more domestically sourced battery materials ecosystem.

 

The collaboration reflects both companies’ push to develop battery technologies that rely less on expensive, mined and foreign-sourced materials and more on abundant resources available through domestic supply chains.

 

Phillip Roberts, co-founder of SiCAM Technologies and XBM, said, "This silicon-sulfur cell technology collaboration is the natural evolution of our company's US centric "Sustainable Battery" vision avoiding longstanding battery chemistries that are mined, more expensive, and foreign sourced and controlled."