Lithium Metal Film
Covered in 1 MetalsCost.com News Intelligence article, most recently on August 25, 2026.
Overview
Lithium metal film is lithium metal processed into a thin, uniform foil rather than cast as bulk ingot. Because metallic lithium reacts violently with atmospheric moisture, it must be rolled, extruded and slit inside dry rooms with tightly controlled humidity, then handled under inert atmosphere until it's sealed inside a cell. The current commercial standard combines extrusion with calendering (roll-pressing) to reach films around 50 microns thick; thinner, sub-20-micron foil needed for next-generation solid-state cells remains difficult to manufacture at scale and consistent quality.
Manufacturing Cost
Thin lithium foil is expensive relative to the metal itself: sub-50-micron foil can cost upward of $1,000/kg to produce, against under $200/kg for standard lithium metal ingot, because of the specialized dry-room infrastructure and low yields at very thin gauges. Battery developers such as SES AI and QuantumScape are pursuing this material for EV and drone cells, betting that thinner, higher-purity lithium films will unlock higher energy density than graphite anodes.
Sources
- Thin lithium foil manufacturing cost and thickness — Techno-economic assessment of thin lithium metal anodes for solid-state batteries (2024)
