C-BATT has developed Obsidia, a coal-derived advanced anode material for lithium-ion batteries, with the aim of improving battery performance for US military applications.
Battery reliability is critical across land, air, sea, space and unmanned operations, where systems can spend extended periods in storage or operate in demanding conditions. C-BATT said Obsidia is engineered to help batteries withstand prolonged storage, deep discharge and harsh cycling.
“A military battery must do more than perform in the lab. It has to be ready after sitting in storage and able to recover when conditions in the field push it to its limits,” said Dan Connell, President of C-BATT. “Obsidia was developed with those real-world defense requirements in mind.”
The company recently presented its technology and defence-focused activities at the 2026 DIB Accelerator in Philadelphia. C-BATT used the event to engage with members of the US defence industrial base and explore potential military energy-storage applications for Obsidia.
The company is also continuing its partnership with the Defense Industrial Base Consortium (DIBC), strengthening its involvement in the US defence energy-storage ecosystem and its work on domestic battery material supply chains.
Obsidia is produced in the US using domestic feedstocks and is designed to integrate with conventional lithium-ion battery manufacturing processes. C-BATT said this could allow battery manufacturers to evaluate the material without fundamentally changing existing production methods.
The company is developing the material as a higher-capacity alternative to graphite while retaining compatibility with conventional lithium-ion electrode processing.
“Energy security is increasingly part of national security, and that starts with the materials inside the batteries powering critical defense systems,” said Dan. “Our focus is on building a domestic supply of advanced battery materials that can support the U.S. military.”
C-BATT is a joint venture between X-BATT and CONSOL Innovations.
Image: Obsidia anode material. Credit: C-BATT.
