While global competition intensifies and Europe’s battery manufacturing grapples with recent bankruptcies, Dutch technology start-ups are leveraging both nanotechnology and processes borrowed from the semiconductor industry to establish a new competitive advantage in this changing field.
Following Industry Setbacks, Nanotechnology Start-Ups Pursue New Paths for Europe’s Battery Market
Concerns have increased about Europe’s position in the battery sector after bankruptcy filings from high-profile companies such as Northvolt in Sweden and Morrow in Norway. With the shift of transportation and industry away from fossil fuels, the demand for batteries continues to rise, compelling European innovators to find new ways to stay relevant and competitive.
Innovation Driving Change at the Nanoscale
Breakthroughs in battery design are increasingly happening at dimensions measured in billionths of a metre, where nanotechnology is opening fresh opportunities. One company leading this effort is LeydenJar of Eindhoven, run by CEO Christian Rood. Their process uses plasma deposition to engineer ultra-thin, pure silicon anode foils—a material previously shunned because it cracks as it expands and contracts during charging. LeydenJar claims their method delivers stable silicon anodes with up to a 50% boost in energy density, alongside faster charging and increased lifespan when compared with conventional approaches.
Though commercial production isn’t expected to launch until the end of 2026, Rood emphasizes that developing such “Deep Tech” advances has required ten years of patient development and major investment. “If you can make this work, it touches so many industries, but it’s a risky business,” he notes. The company’s location in Eindhoven—renowned for semiconductor development and as home to ASML—provides valuable access to expertise and specialized suppliers. This environment, Rood says, helps the firm to accelerate its progress and more effectively protect its intellectual property—obstacles which he believes are even greater in China and the US.
Borrowing Semiconductor Techniques for Battery Progress
This spirit of cross-industry innovation isn’t restricted to LeydenJar. In Delft, the start-up Powall is adapting atomic layer deposition—a method borrowed from semiconductor fabrication—to apply sophisticated nanocoatings to battery powder materials. CEO Roderik Colen explains that such coatings, with nanometre precision on micrometre-scale particles, improve batteries by making them more durable, slowing degradation, and unlocking high-capacity materials that would not typically survive repeated charge cycles. “You have great accuracy in how thick you want to have it. And that makes a difference in performance,” Colen remarks.
Rather than producing entire batteries, both LeydenJar and Powall focus on supplying advanced components or specialized manufacturing techniques. Each maintains commercial partnerships in Asia, integrating into a broader supply network instead of attempting to dominate end-to-end battery production themselves.
Europe’s Battery Strategy: Targeting Niche Excellence
Inspired by ASML’s role in the semiconductor space, these Dutch start-ups aim to ensure Europe occupies an essential role in the global battery supply chain by using unique technological strengths. As Rood says, “Our ambition is to have a position where our battery anode is so unique that we have an important position in the supply chain.”
Senior analyst Alexander Brown of the Mercator Institute for China Studies (Merics) suggests that Europe, by holding onto high-value segments of battery technology, could secure a profitable and influential position. However, he also warns that China is actively working to develop equivalent expertise in these specialized areas, potentially challenging Europe’s advantage in the near future.
Ongoing Innovation and Significant Funding Obstacles
Financial support remains a major hurdle, with Rood noting that although European investment is available, the appetite for risk is much lower than what is seen in Asia or the US. To move forward, companies often juggle a mix of government support, loans, backing from investment banks, and private investors, each with complex conditions and vetting procedures. Colen regards the Netherlands and the broader European region as an “innovation powerhouse,” arguing that battery nanotechnology may be Europe’s opening to lasting relevance—if investors are willing to accept the risks. “It’s a relatively young industry where factories are being built left, right, and centre…the volumes are huge,” Colen observes.
Even as bankruptcy filings shake faith in large-scale battery manufacturing across Europe, incremental advances at the nanoscale may still offer the continent a way to retain competitive strength. Colen concludes: “small changes make big differences.”