Powering Batteries with 50% More Energy: Why We Invested in LeydenJar Technologies

The problem: Europe’s Battery Manufacturing Challenges and Anode Limits

Battery manufacturing in Europe is under pressure. The collapse or restructuring of companies like Northvolt, Varta, Customcells, Cellforce, and Britishvolt has made it clear that competing head-on with Asian cell manufacturers is not realistic. Europe struggles with high energy prices, limited access to affordable raw materials, and a shortage of large-scale battery talent. Even more fundamentally, the region lacks the operational excellence and sheer scale required to produce commodity cells at globally competitive costs.

This does not mean the European battery story is over. It does mean, however, that trying to “catch up” by replicating Asian giga-scale factories is a losing strategy. Commodity cells from China may dominate mass-market applications, but their performance is not always sufficient for the next wave of innovation. AI-powered devices, robotics, and high-performance electric transport will all require batteries that go beyond cost and volume. In these fields, the bottleneck is not the factory – it is the components themselves.

Anodes are a prime example. For decades, lithium-ion battery innovation focused on cathodes, leaving anode technology largely stagnant. Graphite, the standard anode material, has been reliable and inexpensive but is now at the limits of its performance. To power the products of the future, batteries need new anode materials capable of delivering higher energy density without compromising stability and lifespan. Ongoing efforts to overcome the limitations of graphite have led to significant advances in silicon-based anode materials, which have been found to have up to ten times the capacity for storing lithium ions compared with graphite. Silicon composites, which combine silicon with graphite or other stabilising materials, have already begun to appear in commercial batteries but offer only incremental gains in energy density. On the other hand, pure silicon anodes promise far greater performance potential but face challenges due to volume expansion during cycling, which affects long-term stability and lifespan.

The solution: chemical vapor deposition of silicon for porous and flexible anodes

LeydenJar’s breakthrough lies in its plasma-enhanced chemical vapour deposition (PECVD) process, adapted from the semiconductor and PV industries. This method grows thin, porous silicon films directly on copper foil, creating an anode structure that can absorb the natural expansion of silicon during charging. Strong binding between copper and silicon enhances mechanical stability and prevents early degradation, which have historically limited silicon.

The one-step, roll-to-roll, dry manufacturing process is significantly simpler than current methods and produces anodes that are drop-in compatible with existing lithium-ion cells, with electrolyte optimisation tailored to the cathode and use case through joint R&D with cell manufacturers. LeydenJar will supply these anodes directly to cell manufacturers while also collaborating with OEMs for early design alignment and market buy-in. The company has already validated this at scale: thousands of test cells have been produced and tested with industrial partners, and a 1 MWh/year pilot line is running. They have also secured €10 million in customer funding from a leading US-based consumer electronics company for the development and installation of key production equipment. This combined support underscores strong market validation of LeydenJar’s technology and its path to commercial scale.

This is where Europe can take a different path. Instead of trying to win on scale, it can lead by innovating at critical control points in the supply chain — just as ASML did in semiconductors. High-performance components such as pure silicon anodes represent one of these control points. It shows that by focusing on component-level innovation rather than scale, Europe can remain relevant in the race for better batteries. Higher energy density will unlock entirely new categories of devices, and LeydenJar’s silicon anodes are positioned to play a defining role in making that future possible. We are excited to support Christian, Ewout, and the entire LeydenJar team on their journey as they work to become a global leader in this critical industry.

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