Charged EVs | X-BATT’s Glassact SiOC spherical anode targets 800 mAh/g and 8,000 cycles—more than double graphite’s capacity

X-BATT has unveiled Glassact, a spherical silicon oxycarbide (SiOC) anode material targeting more than double the reversible capacity of graphite, with performance targets the company is publishing upfront to distinguish its announcement from the overclaiming the battery materials sector is known for.

The stated targets: greater than 800 mAh/g reversible capacity, greater than 8C charge rates while retaining more than 80% of nominal capacity, less than 8% cyclic swelling and greater than 8,000 cycles at greater than 80% depth of discharge. These are targets, not yet independently validated results.

The material is made by shaping a proprietary pre-ceramic resin into near-perfect microspheres with tight size distribution, then converting them to ceramic in low-temperature, short-residence pyrolysis furnaces. The internal structure—a conductive carbon scaffold supporting a glassy ceramic matrix, wrapped in a protective outer shell—is designed to handle lithium storage while keeping the electrolyte interface stable. The spherical morphology and low surface area limit electrolyte decomposition, a common degradation mechanism in silicon-based anodes.

The dimensional stability claim is the part that differentiates SiOC from pure silicon. Silicon metal expands dramatically during lithiation, which stresses the electrode structure and leads to capacity fade. SiOC ceramics are thermally and chemically stable, and X-BATT’s <8% swelling target reflects that. The tradeoff is lower capacity than pure silicon, but still more than twice graphite’s.

X-BATT says the material is domestically produced using an emulsion process compatible with equipment already proven in adjacent industries, which it frames as a scalability advantage.

Source: X-BATT