Vacuum Vaporization with Lithium for Long-lasting Batteries

Pre-lithiation Level of Silicon Anodes Substantially Increased

05 August 2025 – Pre-lithiation increases the performance and lifetime of batteries. In this process, lithium is added to the electrodes before assembly to reduce active lithium loss during battery operation. In this way, capacity losses are compensated and the lifetime is extended. A research team from Münster has now analyzed how the method can also be used for large quantities of lithium. The results are part of the work of the Frontier Research Laboratory, which LG Energy Solution has established in Münster in cooperation with MEET Battery Research Center at the University of Münster and Helmholtz Institute Münster of Forschungszentrum Jülich.

Method Adaptable to Various Battery Technologies

“Previous studies have focused in particular on the pre-lithiation of electrodes with small amounts of lithium, which is irrelevant for industrial applications. We have aimed to reach a pre-lithiation level of 15 percent,” explains MEET scientist Dr Aleksei Kolesnikov. The researchers used the vacuum-based physical vapor deposition (PVD) coating process, which has long been established in industry for the production of chip bags, for example. “This procedure had proven successful with smaller amounts of lithium. We have now identified that an increasing proportion of lithium leads to clumping on the surface, but the electrodes still work more efficiently than those without pre-lithiation,” says Kolesnikov.

The silicon electrodes used were provided by the industrial partner LG Energy Solution. “By investigating the electrodes with larger quantities of lithium, we have taken an important step towards better understanding the process and being able to transfer it into industrial production in the future,” says Kolesnikov. The method could be used for various battery technologies.

Detailed Results Online Available

The entire study has been published by the authors Dr Aleksei Kolesnikov, Laurin Profanter, Dr Anindityo Arifiadi, Nick Fehlings and Dr Johannes Kasnatscheew, MEET Battery Research Center, Marvin Mohrhardt, Helmholtz Institute Münster, Dr Ilha Lee, LG Energy Solution, as well as Prof. Dr Martin Winter, MEET Battery Research Center and Helmholtz Institute Münster, in the journal “Advanced Energy and Sustainability Research”.