Silicon-carbon batteries are rapidly gaining traction, with all major Chinese brands set to incorporate this technology in their flagship models by 2025. The appeal is clear: utilizing silicon enhances energy density, enabling brands to fit larger batteries while improving durability and performance in colder conditions.
Hardwired
In Hardwired, AC Senior Editor Harish Jonnalagadda explores various hardware topics, including smartphones, audio devices, storage solutions, and networking technology.
This advancement explains why devices like the Xiaomi 15 Ultra, Find X8 Ultra, Vivo X200 Pro, and Honor Magic 7 Pro have significantly larger batteries than their predecessors, achieving this without adding too much bulk or weight. These batteries still feature a lithium cathode, but the anode is a blend of silicon-carbon and traditional graphite, resulting in enhanced density.
Group14 is leading this innovative approach, with its SCC55 silicon-carbon composite being widely adopted across the industry—Honor’s Magic 7 Pro employs this unique material in its battery. Group14 is collaborating with German industrial powerhouse BASF to create a “drop-in-ready solution” that primarily utilizes silicon-rich anodes.
Group14 believes this partnership could unlock numerous new applications. I spoke with their VP of Global Market Strategy, Grant Ray, to gain further insight into the technology.
In essence, Group14 is combining its SCC55 material with BASF’s Licity 2698 X F binder, a specialized polymer crafted from styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR), designed to maximize performance in silicon-heavy anodes. This collaboration simplifies the transition for phone manufacturers aiming to adopt silicon-rich batteries without needing to entirely revamp their production processes.
This development is significant because current silicon-carbon batteries only incorporate about 10% silicon in their anode. While silicon offers a higher energy density of 4200mAh/g compared to graphite’s 372mAh/g, it tends to swell during charging and discharging. By amalgamating silicon with carbon, as Group14 does with SCC55, the material’s mechanical integrity is enhanced, reducing distortion while improving conductivity.
Ray mentioned that future battery models aim to incorporate a larger silicon-carbon proportion in their anodes, with efforts geared towards achieving “full displacement”—a complete transition to silicon-carbon anodes. Although complete displacement is still on the horizon, advancements in integrating higher ratios of silicon-carbon should yield batteries with significantly improved density and quicker charging times.
It’s not beyond imagination to foresee next-gen phones with 10,000mAh batteries in a similar footprint to today’s devices. Ray indicates that phone manufacturers are becoming less hesitant to experiment with higher silicon mixtures. While this technology is predominantly being spearheaded by Chinese manufacturers, Ray anticipates that major brands like Samsung might adopt silicon-carbon batteries soon; the Galaxy S26 is expected to feature this battery in the upcoming year.
A challenge in this domain is availability; Ray highlights that demand for the SCC55 material currently outstrips supply, and the manufacturer plans to establish its U.S. facility by 2026 to meet global needs. The ongoing tariff situation poses additional uncertainty, but Ray assures that Group14 remains committed to its ambitions.
Experiencing flagship devices equipped with this technology has made me realize the vast potential of silicon-carbon batteries, and I am eager to observe how this innovation progresses in 2026 and beyond. Most smartphones today can last at least a day and a half on a single charge, and I look forward to the day when I’ll only need to recharge my phone two or three times a week.