Duisburg, June 30, 2026 – PCC Thorion GmbH is consistently pushing ahead with the commercialization of its silicon-carbon composite Sithorit AX and is launching a comprehensive test campaign in commercially relevant lithium-ion batteries. The aim is to align the material’s performance under realistic operating conditions, especially for the automotive sector, to specific application characteristics in the high-end segment in order to support the validations already carried out by several OEMs and cell manufacturers.

Sithorit AX was designed as a scalable drop-in solution and can be integrated into current cell concepts of automotive applications at silicon contents of more than 10% without adapting existing production processes. The material addresses the requirements of high-power applications in particular through an optimized design that enables both fast charge and discharge rates up to 5C (~12min) with high power stability.

For validation, PCC Thorion is working with the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE. As part of the test campaign, the institute is manufacturing lithium-ion pouch cells with capacities of up to 15 Ah in two different cell configurations:

  • a design optimized for high power density
  • as well as a design designed for high energy density

The optimized cell configurations allow an increase in gravimetric energy density of 15 % at the cell level compared to conventional graphite anodes.

The cells are specifically designed for performance-intensive applications and enable a differentiated evaluation of the material in different operating regimes.

With this approach, PCC Thorion is laying the foundation for accelerated industrialization and application-driven advancement of silicon-based anode materials. The generated data is used for technical optimization as well as to support customer qualifications and other cooperation projects.

“With Sithorit AX , we are consistently pursuing the goal of providing our customers with a high-performance anode that can be integrated into industrial applications. The current tests in large-format pouch cells are a decisive step in demonstrating the performance of our material under realistic conditions and specifically aligning it with customer requirements,” says Enrico Roicke, Managing Director of PCC Thorion.

More aggressive cell designs especially for high-power applications outside the automotive segment, which benefit Sithorit AX advantageous material properties, are currently being developed with several cell manufacturers. More on that shortly.