Battery materials
BASF and Group14 pair silicon anode material with a tailored binder
The companies announced a material combination for silicon-dominant anodes and reported test-cell cycling results, illustrating the importance of matching materials within the electrode.
Two materials brought into one anode system
On May 13, 2025, BASF and Group14 announced a collaboration for silicon-dominant anodes, combining BASF’s Licity® 2698 X F binder with Group14’s SCC55® silicon-based anode material.
The companies said the solution uses commercially available materials and was developed around electrode stability and cell performance.
Why the binder network matters for high-silicon anodes
Silicon can undergo substantial volume change during charging and discharging. Electrode design therefore needs to consider particle cohesion, adhesion to the current collector, and the retention of interfaces and conductive pathways through cycling.
A binder is not assessed in isolation: particle surfaces, mixing, coating and cell conditions all shape the problem a particular binder system needs to address.
Reading the reported cycling results
The joint release reports that, under standard room-temperature conditions, its test cells typically exceeded 1,000 cycles with 80% capacity remaining. At 45 °C, the companies reported more than 500 cycles.
These are results disclosed for the companies’ test cells; the release does not fully specify the cell configuration or test method. Other high-silicon systems need assessment against their own anode composition, areal capacity, temperature, cycling protocol and controls.