Making better, cheaper batteries with silicon anodes

➤ Soobhankar Pati and Ashwani Pandey’s Cellark Powertech is trying to develop and use high-purity battery-grade silicon material in lithium-ion battery anodes. If the technology proves successful and scalable, Ashwani says it will reduce the mass of the battery and increase the range of the vehicles with a single charge. India’s abundant silica mines will also then become a strategic advantage.
➤ Earlier this year, Cellark, which is based in Cuttack, Odisha, received a grant of Rs 1.7 crore from the Union mines ministry to start pilot scale production (25kg/day) of the silicon material. It was one among five startups to get this grant. Previously, Cellark also received seed funding from IOCL.
➤ Soobhankar, associate professor at IIT Bhubaneswar, was the driving force of the startup. After returning from the US in 2013, he embarked on a mission to tackle the issue of energy storage, focusing on enhancing the energy density and reducing costs of lithium-ion batteries.
➤ Lithium-ion batteries consist of several components including cathodes, anodes, separators, and electrolytes. These components are arranged in layers within the battery architecture, which are then rolled or stacked together to form a compact and efficient energy storage device. “However, despite their efficiency, lithium-ion batteries face limitations in terms of cost and energy density. Constant innovation in raw materials for anodes and cathodes remains imperative,” says Soobhankar.
➤ Collaborating with PhD students, Soobhankar explored silicon anodes for lithium-ion batteries, aiming to surpass the limitations of conventional graphite anodes.
➤ The initial lab results were promising and so he partnered with his student Ashwani to start Cellark in 2018 to translate the lab-based innovations into commercial solutions. Cellark’s proprietary technique stabilises porous silicon for optimal battery application.