The real breakthrough for iPhone Air is the battery

The thin design of the iPhone Air can be eye-catching, and the amount of engineering that miniaturizes its logic board is impressive. However, according to Gene Berdichevsky, co-founder and CEO of battery materials maker Sila, the actual breakthrough may lurk elsewhere within the aluminum and glass enclosures.

“The battery on the new iPhone is very remarkable,” Berdichevsky told TechCrunch. “A completely arbitrary and 2D shape – you look at the shape, and it’s pretty amazing.”

“I’ve just returned from Asia and I had the opportunity to see some of these cells,” he added. “It’s innovative battery technology.”

Berdichevsky knows one or two things about batteries. As Tesla’s seventh employee, he led engineering on the original Roadster battery, which became the template for Teslas afterwards. Today he leads SILA. Sila produces silicon anode materials for home appliances and quickly produces electric vehicles.

Notched Design for iPhone Air is made possible through a patented technology called Metal Can Battery by Apple. The important details are the name of the name. Metal casing encloses the entire cell, adding strength and physical durability. Most batteries used in home appliances are pouch cells, with soft plastic casings that are inexpensive to manufacture and allow for some swelling.

Apple has been using L-shaped batteries on iPhones for many years. All lithium-ion batteries expand to some extent, and the inner corner of L becomes a pinch when its swelling occurs.

“These are very unpleasant and are basically bulletproof. Now we can build the batteries in the two-dimensional shapes we need,” says Berdichevsky.

The metal can battery allows Apple to make the most of the small space inside the iPhone Air. “They can get very close to the edge,” he said. After various circuit boards are placed, the battery can penetrate the insects into the free space.

Ultimately, Berdichevsky believes most mobile phones will adopt metal cans despite the additional cost. Extra energy storage is worth it.

He also said it was “very important” for small devices like AR and VR glasses, adding that he saw several prototypes while he was in China. “It’s even more energy density improvements because it can fit strange shapes,” says Berdichevsky.

This complex switch to batteries is why Apple has not replaced carbon anodes with lithium-ion batteries for its silicon-rich version, also known as silicon carbon.

“If you have [a new battery design] Online, you go a bit and what do you know? Let’s try using yesterday’s chemistry,” Berdichevsky said.

However, the transition to metal cans could promote the transition to silicon anodes in the near future. Pure silicon anodes can store about 50% more energy than traditional graphite anodes, but the material is prone to swelling. Companies like Sila have developed their own methods of managing that swelling within the material, but need to be explained at the cellular level.

“It will definitely help to introduce silicon to these types of devices,” says Berdichevsky. “You can push the performance limits even further. We always have these trade-offs. We have to manage the bulge. You still have to do that, but you can push it a little more. It’s pretty revolutionary.”