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Undecided with Matt Ferrell: Highlighting Sakuu’s dry-process Kavian battery manufacturing platform and PCC technology

Sakuu was recently featured on Undecided with Matt Ferrell in a detailed exploration of innovations addressing the biggest battery issues facing energy storage and EVs: safety, charge capacity, longevity — and especially cost.

“There's a new electrode manufacturing technique that apparently uses less energy, less materials, and less factory floor space — all of which means more savings,” clean energy expert Ferrell explained while presenting a deep-dive on how dry-printing battery electrodes “will lower one of the most costly parts of a battery: their electrodes.”

Kavian Platform

“California-based battery technology firm Sakuu is beginning to license Kavian, the world’s first platform for 3D-printing battery electrodes,” Ferrell noted before listing the significant material, space, and production efficiencies Kavian enables.

“You’re probably wondering, though: what kind of batteries are we talking about? Nickel? Cobalt? Lithium? And the answer is “yes.” Throw aluminum and sodium onto that list, too. Sakuu says that dry-printing can be adapted to a lot of different cathode and anode materials, whether they’ll be used with a liquid or solid electrolyte,” Ferrell said. “What I find the most interesting is that the dry-printing technology could open up even more options: denser electrodes, multi-layered electrodes, and electrodes made from materials that weren’t compatible with wet processes … so haven’t really been explored yet.”

Polymeric Current Collector (PCC) Technology

Ferrell also explored Sakuu’s polymeric current collector (PCC) technology as an alternative to using metal foils in batteries, pointing out that “with advancements in battery cost, weight, and safety, it’s no surprise that composite current collectors are a growing focus of innovation.”

Such composite current collectors, Ferrell said, "are typically polymers engineered with conductive additives to boost their conductivity while reducing overall weight. Switching from metals to cheap polymer composites could potentially drop the cost of current collectors by 75%. And assuming about 10% of the price of a battery is its current collectors, that’s a whopping 7.5% potential price drop for future batteries,“ Ferrell said. “Polymer-based current collectors also offer peace of mind for anyone haunted by viral videos of lithium battery fires — they can be fire-retardant, helping to suppress thermal runaway and reduce ignition risk.”

There’s lots more to learn about Sakuu and innovations in the battery manufacturing business in this fascinating analysis: Watch Undecided with Matt Ferrell on YouTube here.