US-based Soteria Battery Innovation Group has licensed a novel current collector technology from Rutgers University, aiming to improve the safety and durability of lithium-ion batteries. The technology addresses a growing challenge in battery systems: cracking and separation between electrodes and current collectors as batteries age. Developed by Rutgers researcher Glen Amatucci, it will be added to Soteria’s Battery Safety IP Exchange for broader licensing across the industry.
As battery makers push for higher energy density, keeping electrodes stable becomes ever more important for both performance and safety. Over repeated charge-discharge cycles, electrodes expand and contract, weakening their contact with conventional metal-foil current collectors. Over time this can increase resistance, generate excess heat and accelerate degradation. To address the challenge, the team led by Amatucci developed a patented mesh current collector design intended to improve battery durability and safety.
A New Current Collector Design for Safer Lithium-ion Batteries
The technology replaces solid metal foil with a lightweight porous polymer structure coated with a thin layer of conductive metal, creating a more flexible architecture that better accommodates electrode expansion and contraction across charge cycles. Built on a three-dimensional design, it improves flexibility while reducing weight and enabling more uniform current distribution. It also supports better electrolyte transport and helps limit the resistance growth and heat generation that come with battery ageing — key drivers of performance loss and safety risk.
Seeing its potential in next-generation battery systems, the company has added the technology to its Battery Safety IP Exchange, where manufacturers can access it through a collaborative licensing model. Soteria CEO Brian Morin noted that although current collectors have a major impact on battery safety and performance, they are often overlooked in battery design — and that improving this part of the battery can deliver meaningful gains in durability, efficiency and overall reliability.
“The Rutgers technology approaches this challenge from a different direction than the development of our metallized polymer current collectors — a novel approach we wanted to bring into our Battery Safety IP Exchange,” Morin said in a statement. “By bringing complementary technologies together, we can give manufacturers greater flexibility to design safer batteries.” The company added that the exchange was created to simplify access to safety-focused battery technologies through a shared, collaborative licensing framework.
The platform pools complementary intellectual property from universities, national laboratories, startups and established industry players, aiming to lower adoption barriers and accelerate commercialisation. By bringing these technologies together in one ecosystem, the IP exchange seeks to promote the deployment of practical battery safety solutions across the wider lithium-ion industry.