AnteoTech launches primer additive designed to boost battery performance

Australia’s AnteoTech has launched a new cross-linker additive for use in primer coatings on copper foil anode and aluminium foil cathode current collectors in lithium-ion batteries.

The company said its Anteo C product is a PFAS-free, water-based cross-linker that stabilizes battery anode and cathode primer coatings – the thin layers applied between the current collector foil (copper or aluminum) and the active material layer (anode coating and cathode coating respectively).

According to AnteoTech, primer coatings are designed to increase adhesion between the active material and the current collector, reduce electrical contact resistance, and protect against corrosion. A key challenge facing the industry is the transition to lower-cost, water-based binders.

While these binders offer cost and environmental advantages, they can readily dissolve when water-based slurries are applied during electrode manufacturing, compromising the integrity of the primer coating and reducing battery performance.

AnteoTech said Anteo C addresses this by cross-linking the binder’s molecular structure, stabilising the primer coating and preventing dissolution during the anode or cathode manufacturing process.

“Anteo C enables the use of a broader range of lower-cost, water-based binder systems while improving the mechanical and electrochemical properties of primer coatings and, ultimately, lithium-ion battery electrode performance,” the company said.

AnteoTech said the product also provides an attractive alternative to solvent-based primer coating formulations that rely on PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, commonly referred to as “forever chemicals”).

The launch of Anteo C follows laboratory-scale testing of a 100-millilitre sample and  pilot-scale roll-to-roll coating trials, which were completed before the coated material was sent to an end customer for evaluation.

After those trials, a 20-liter sample of Anteo C has been shipped to a South Korean manufacturer for evaluation in water-based lithium iron phosphate cathode production.

“This is a very positive development within a relatively short timeframe of entering the South Korean market and we look forward to continued momentum building across all our products in this market,” AnteoTech Managing Director and CEO Merrill Gray said, adding additional customer opportunities have been identified globally with commercial discussions now underway. “We are actively engaging with potential customers in other key markets directly.”

Anteo C is the second new advanced battery technology (ABT) product introduced by AnteoTech in 2026, following the earlier release of Anteo S for separator technologies. They add to the company’s high-silicon Ultranode and Anteo X offerings.

“The product suite developed by the ABT team provides an exciting platform for growth,” Gray said.

From pv magazine Australia