Anaphite Raises €1.6 Million To Advance Dry Coating Technology For LFP Batteries

Half of the funding comes from Innovate UK’s Clean Energy and Climate Technologies competition, with the remainder provided by climate-focused venture capital funds Elbow Beach and World Fund.

The investment will expand Anaphite’s Dry Coating Precursor (DCP®) technology beyond NMC cathodes, enabling high-throughput dry coating of lithium iron phosphate (LFP) cathodes and graphite anodes.

LFP cathodes are increasingly popular in electric vehicles, though they require over twice the energy to manufacture compared with NMC cathodes. Material mixing and electrode coating account for 30–40% of total battery cell energy and cost, making process optimisation crucial for reducing both expenses and carbon footprint.

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With LFP expected to represent more than 55% of global cathode demand by 2030, scalable, high-yield dry coating solutions are in high demand. Dry coating LFP is more challenging than NMC, with no commercial-scale methods proven so far. To meet growing EV demand and upcoming regulatory milestones in the UK and EU, efficient manufacturing processes are critical.

Anaphite is tackling these challenges using its expertise in dry coating and nanomaterials for LFP electrodes. The company has already demonstrated DCP® performance on NMC cathodes. Its proprietary chemical compositing technique disperses difficult-to-mix materials such as binders and conductive carbons, binding them to active material particles to form homogeneous dry powders. This method overcomes limitations of existing mixing techniques, enabling reliable dry coating for LFP batteries.

Anaphite’s CEO Joe Stevenson says: “We’re thrilled to have secured this grant support from Innovate UK and the matching investment from Elbow Beach, World Fund and other Anaphite investors. This enables us to attack one of the toughest technical challenges in dry coating – successfully manufacturing LFP electrodes. Once achieved at scale, it will be enormously valuable to the industry. Anaphite’s DCP® technology has been successful with NMC dry coating formulations, and we’re confident it can be applied to LFP, to further boost the cost and carbon emission savings for OEMs.”

One key challenge with LFP formulations is particle size. The latest generation of LFP (Gen IV) has particles between 0.7 and 3 microns, compared with 3–20 microns for NMC. The much higher surface area of LFP particles makes it difficult to achieve uniform mixing and consistent dry film formation.

Craig Douglas, Partner, World Fund, comments: “Anaphite’s technology is broadly applicable across next-generation and established battery technologies alike. This investment will enable the company to significantly expand its commercial capabilities, accelerating the scale-up of its manufacturing processes and driving down manufacturing costs for the global battery industry.”

The project aims to achieve roll-to-roll production of dry-coated LFP cathodes and graphite anodes, followed by full cell testing. High first-cycle efficiency and long cycle life will demonstrate Anaphite’s technology for mass-market electrodes enabling wider adoption and strengthening collaborations with global OEMs to reduce costs and environmental impact.

Aligned with the UK Government’s Advanced Manufacturing Plan, the initiative supports growth in batteries and automotive sectors and the expansion of the BESS market, where LFP is expected to dominate new energy storage capacity in the UK by 2030.

About Anaphite

Founded in 2018, Anaphite develops advanced formulation and process technologies for dry coating battery electrodes. The company partners with the battery industry to optimise production, enabling more sustainable, cost-effective, and high-performance batteries that support the global energy transition.