Posco Future M Company, the battery materials subsidiary of South Korea's Posco Holdings, announced that it has signed an agreement with US-based Sila Nanotechnologies to collaborate on the development of advanced materials for next-generation battery cells.

Sila has developed a lithium-silicon battery anode, the Titan Silicon, using nano-engineered silicon particles, which it says is capable of storing significantly more energy than conventional graphite-based battery anodes. The new anode could potentially significantly extend the driving range of battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and enable faster charging. The company also offers battery engineering services to outside battery manufacturers, with its clients also including Mercedes-Benz.

Posco Future M mainly produces cathode materials for nickel-cobalt-manganese (NCM) and nickel-cobalt-manganese-aluminum (NCMA) batteries and is looking to expand its product portfolio to include lithium iron phosphate (LFP), all-solid-state batteries (ASBs) and lithium manganese-rich (LMR) batteries in the short term.

The company announced in 2024 that it had completed construction of a silicon anode materials (SiOx) downstream processing plant in Pohang, South Korea, in 2024, with plans to expand production capacity by the end of the decade.

Posco confirmed that it has agreed to combine its battery cell materials expertise with that of Sila, so they can work together to incorporate Sila’s technologies in its next-generation battery anodes.

Hong Young-jun, head of Posco Future M’s technology research laboratory, said in a statement: "Beyond developing next-generation battery materials, we also agreed to expand cooperation to ensure a stable supply of these materials.”