Critical Resources Advances Manufacturing Potential for Solid-State Lithium-Ion Batteries

Critical Resources (ASX: CRR) says it has produced a full solid-state battery composite layer in a single dry, room-temperature deposition step, marking a technical milestone in the company’s battery IP program.

The early-stage solid-state battery technology program sits alongside CRR’s broader portfolio of lithium, gold-antimony, and copper interests.

In today’s filing, the company said it had deposited a complete cathode/electrolyte/conductive composite layer made up of LFP, LLZO and a carbon-nanotube network on aluminium foil in one pass.

CRR describes the process as DSD, which it likens to a 3D-printing approach.

DSD forms a dense, uniform coating at room temperature without solvents, drying cycles, or furnace processing, seen as a manufacturing de-risking step because conventional battery fabrication often involves multiple stages that can complicate interface control between materials.

The significance lies in the transition from showing the layer can be made to testing whether it performs as required in CR2032 coin cells and, later, in a pouch-cell prototype.

Battery Program Background

The battery work is being developed as an IP and process-licensing strategy rather than an in-house battery manufacturing plan.

CRR has previously said its model is to develop and license battery and manufacturing-process IP, which shapes how this latest update should be read.

That strategy traces back to November 2025, when the company secured a 12-month exclusive option over a solid-state battery patent portfolio from the South Dakota School of Mines & Technology covering five granted US patents and one pending patent.

The battery option subsequently entered a formal six-month evaluation program after acceptance into an NSF-supported CEPS framework, meaning today’s announcement sits within a structured technical evaluation pathway rather than a stand-alone lab result.

Earlier company materials had already outlined electrolyte-focused benchmark results including more than 1,200 hours of interface stability, 3.2 mS/cm ionic conductivity, and 0.27 eV activation energy.

Milestone and Numbers

The reported composite layer combines lithium iron phosphate, a LLZO reference solid electrolyte, and a carbon-nanotube conductive network in a single dry deposition step.

The company disclosed a layer thickness of 15 microns, also referencing microscopy and EDS analysis indicating the electrolyte was distributed evenly through the coating rather than appearing patchy or clumped.

While CRR pointed to a stated ionic conductivity benchmark of 3.2 mS/cm from earlier work on its non-sulphide, non-halide amorphous electrolyte program, the filing does not frame that number as a finished commercial cell result, and it should be read as supporting technical context rather than proof of battery output.

Testing has now started in CR2032 coin-cell format, using a liquid electrolyte as a reference in baseline electrochemical work, with early charge-discharge behaviour reportedly consistent with expected material performance.

A full-format pouch cell prototype is also in development, with independent testing planned or ongoing and to be followed by standalone electrolyte deposition to create a discrete pure-electrolyte layer.

In practical terms, CRR is saying it has solved part of the manufacturing sequence in one step—what remains unresolved is whether that layer can repeatedly deliver useful battery performance once assembled into working cells.

What to Watch Next

The first clear checkpoint is quantitative data from the coin-cell program.

Without figures on capacity retention, cycling behaviour, efficiency and reproducibility, it is difficult to judge how much technical risk has actually been removed.

The second checkpoint is scale-up into pouch-cell format.

Solid-state battery programs often look different when moving from lab-scale coin cells to larger formats, where uniformity, interface quality and repeatability can become harder to maintain. CRR’s filing itself notes that scaling to pouch-cell formats may introduce reproducibility and interface-quality risk.

There is also a funding lens to this story.

CRR’s FY2025 annual report showed cash of $955,925 at 31 December 2025 and a net loss after tax of $2,034,340.

A later AGM presentation cited cash of $1.7 million at 31 March 2026, but today’s battery filing did not disclose a dedicated budget, strategic partner, or financing package for the next stage of development.

Validation Now Matters Most

CRR’s latest filing gives the market a more concrete manufacturing milestone in its solid-state battery program, with the company saying it has built a full composite layer in one dry, room-temperature step.

But the technical and commercial case still depends on data that has not yet been disclosed, particularly coin-cell performance, pouch-cell reproducibility and the company’s ability to fund or partner the next stage of development.

For now, the latest announcement gives CRR a more concrete manufacturing milestone within its solid-state program and aligns with its stated licensing-focused IP strategy.

The next debate is likely to centre less on whether the company can form the layer, and more on whether it can publish convincing cell data, show reproducibility at larger format, and support the program financially while continuing to advance its mining portfolio.