Solid-State Battery Breakthroughs: Key Material Innovations and Manufacturing Trends in 2025"

Three Emerging Trends in Solid-State Battery Development

The solid-state battery market has recently gained renewed momentum, with industry attention shifting from previous discussions on electrolyte technology routes, OEM and battery manufacturer deployment strategies, mass production timelines, and emerging applications such as eVTOLs. Today, the focus is converging on three core trends that are driving deeper industrialization: breakthroughs in key materials such as solid-state electrolyte membranes, rapid advancements in silicon-carbon anode materials, and synchronized innovation in production processes and equipment.

Trend 1: Accelerated Innovation in Electrolyte Materials — The Rise of Solid-State Electrolyte Coated Membranes

As the "fifth major material" in solid-state batteries, the solid-state electrolyte membrane is undergoing a technological shift. Initially, the industry anticipated self-supporting solid electrolyte films. However, in 2025, a new trend has emerged: leading solid-state battery players like Weilan and Tailan, as well as traditional separator manufacturers such as Senior Technology Material, are emphasizing solid-state electrolyte coating solutions on existing base membranes.

Dr. Hong Li, co-founder of Weilan New Energy and researcher at the Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, recently emphasized that current mainstream production processes still heavily rely on base membranes. Whether through coating or in-situ solidification on a rigid substrate, or via laminated composite processes, completely membrane-free approaches face challenges in stability and reliability.

Weilan’s newly launched semi-solid-state energy storage battery line (6GWh annual capacity) in Zhuhai uses coated membranes supplied by Jiangsu Sanhe (a joint venture of Enjie, Weilan, and TMY Technology), exemplifying this coated base film trend.

Similarly, Tailan's "separator-free" concept actually refers to the integration of composite solid electrolytes directly onto the electrode surface, pointing to a supported structural approach. Senior Technology Material is also transitioning from base membrane supplier to total solid electrolyte membrane solution provider, in collaboration with polymer supplier Daxiao Chemical and solid electrolyte developer DeepBlue Huize.

This base-film-supported solid-state electrolyte membrane approach is seen as more practical for commercialization. Its manufacturing logic aligns with the wet-process large cylindrical battery production model, emphasizing cost control and scalability. Reports suggest Japanese and Korean firms have already achieved electrolyte membrane costs 30% lower than those in China, further pressuring the market.

Nevertheless, R&D on self-supporting membranes continues. In April, Zhongke Gunei announced a mass production breakthrough in sulfide-based solid electrolyte membranes (>95% sulfide content). Their products—ultra-thin (15–25μm), wide-width (400mm), and high ionic conductivity (3.82 mS/cm)—are made via a wet-process membrane casting line, showing strong potential for independent solid-state films.

Trend 2: Rapid Advancement of Silicon-Carbon Anodes — Capital Flows Intensify

Earlier this year, academician Ouyang Minggao from Tsinghua University stated that before 2030, the key to solid-state battery breakthroughs under 500Wh/kg lies in anode material iteration, especially silicon-carbon (Si-C) composites. Silicon anodes are gaining significant traction thanks to the large cylindrical cell trend driven by Tesla and BMW.

According to GG-Lithium’s data, the first five months of 2025 have seen over 220,000 tons of new planned silicon-carbon anode capacity, with investments exceeding 20 billion RMB.

Key projects include:

• Xinyuan Technology’s 100,000-ton Si-C project in Xiangyang, Hubei, with a record-breaking investment of 12 billion RMB.

• Sungrow’s 40,000-ton integrated Si-C base in Ningbo, with two product lines (high-capacity, high ICE Si-C and high-pressure-resistant Si-C) beginning trial production in early 2025. One line has been introduced into leading battery OEMs and evaluated by top consumer electronics brands.

• Do-Fluoride’s subsidiary Zhongning Silicon broke ground on a 40,000-ton project in Quzhou, Zhejiang, with over 5 billion RMB invested.

• Startups like Lanxi Zhide (1,000 tons capacity) and Solid Power (10,000 tons in Yongzhou, Hunan) are also expanding rapidly.

Porous carbon materials, essential for Si-C anodes, are also heating up. Six new projects were launched in 2025. Notable players:

• Shengquan Group began mass production of a 1,000-ton porous carbon line.

• Jinbo Tech completed pilot-scale development of petroleum coke-based porous carbon and is preparing new product releases.

• CATL-backed Shandong Fuyuan, incubated by Fudan University’s Professor Zhao Dongyuan, is another strong player in porous carbon innovation.

On the equipment side, Suzhou Neumtech, specializing in fluidized-bed CVD systems, completed a 100 million+ RMB Series A+ financing round in April to develop large-scale equipment for silicon-carbon anodes—further demonstrating tight synergy between material science and process engineering.

Trend 3: Deepening Equipment-Process Integration — Dry Electrode Technology and Line Integration in the Spotlight

2025 has seen significant advancements in solid-state battery production equipment, with dry electrode process technology becoming a central focus. This trend highlights the urgent demand for high-efficiency, automated, and integrated production lines, driven by strong coordination between process development and equipment manufacturing.

Notable progress includes:

• Lead Intelligence securing repeat orders for its solid-state battery equipment.

• Manz and Wynka delivering dry-process mixers and related systems.

• Naco Knowle’s dry roll press equipment achieving successful customer adoption.

Fully integrated solutions and line-level delivery capabilities are becoming new benchmarks for equipment providers. For example:

• Lyric Robot won the full-line equipment contract for GAC Aion's sulfide-based solid-state battery project.

• Hymson signed a 400 million RMB order with XinJie Energy, covering solid-state battery production lines.

New equipment releases from Shuishui Smart and Guanhong Smart show a clear move toward integrating mixing, fiberization, film formation, calendering, slitting, and winding into streamlined systems.

Collaborative innovation is driving breakthroughs. For instance:

• Naco Knowle and Ouyang Minggao’s lab co-established a joint solid-state battery R&D center.

• Efly Laser partnered with Jinyu Energy to co-develop equipment tailored for full-tab pouch and prismatic aluminum-shell batteries.

A notable milestone: In April, Qingyan Electronics launched China’s first 0.1GWh fully automated dry electrode line, capable of continuous production from raw materials to electrodes—marking a critical step in the shift from standalone machines to integrated lines.

Qingyan continues to partner with segment leaders Honggong Tech and Naco Knowle, forming joint ventures to co-develop core integrated equipment such as hybrid homogenizers and film-forming composite machines, aiming to establish technical barriers and drive the dry electrode process forward.

Conclusion

In summary, the future of the solid-state battery industry is being shaped by continuous innovation in materials and synchronized breakthroughs in production technology. As solid-state electrolyte membranes, silicon-carbon anodes, and integrated dry electrode processes converge, the industry is rapidly moving toward scalable commercialization — laying a strong foundation for the next generation of high-performance energy storage systems.