POSCO Future M said on March 13 it signed an MOU with U.S. battery materials company Sila to jointly develop advanced battery materials. It added that the companies signed the memorandum of understanding in the presence of executives and employees including Hong Young-jun (홍영준), head of POSCO Future M’s Technology Research Institute, and Sila founder and chief technology officer Gleb Yushin (글렙 유신).

Sila is a battery materials company headquartered in California. It has high-performance silicon anode technology and is working with major automakers and battery manufacturers to improve electric-vehicle driving range and shorten charging times. It operates a silicon anode production plant in Moses Lake, Washington.

The agreement focuses on developing advanced battery materials technology by combining POSCO Future M’s cathode and anode technology with Sila’s silicon anode technology.

Silicon anodes have up to 10 times higher energy storage capacity than existing graphite-based anodes. They are expected to increase EV driving range and reduce charging time. They have a weakness in that battery volume expands and the structure deforms during charging and discharging. The companies plan to use carbon nanomaterials technology to address this and extend battery life. They will also review ways to use POSCO Future M’s carbon materials technology to improve the cost competitiveness of expensive silicon anodes.

Hong said the companies decided to combine what he called industry-leading technology leadership held by each side to develop advanced battery materials technology. He said they would continue to develop the partnership not only in technology development but also in supply chain terms.