The US silicon-carbon anode producer is seeking an exclusion order to bar imports of allegedly infringing material, in a case that pushes the China supply-chain contest from cost toward intellectual property.
Sila Nanotechnologies, the US battery materials company behind the Titan Silicon silicon-carbon (Si/C) anode, said it has filed a complaint with the US International Trade Commission (ITC) under Section 337 of the Tariff Act of 1930, alongside a parallel action in federal district court, alleging infringement of patents covering its silicon anode technology.
The complaints name Carbon One New Energy Co., Ltd., Zhejiang Lichen New Material Technology Co., Ltd. and Carbon One New Energy (Hangzhou) Co., Ltd. (collectively, “C-ONE”), described by Sila as a foreign battery anode materials manufacturer. According to industry reporting, Sila filed jointly with Georgia Tech Research Corporation (GTRC), and lodged the district court action in the Eastern District of Texas.
Silicon-carbon anodes are emerging as a higher-energy-density alternative to conventional graphite anodes, and Chinese producers have moved quickly to scale the technology for export. A Section 337 case is significant because, if successful, it can result in an exclusion order enforced at the US border, a remedy distinct from the damages available in district court.
The filing signals that competition between US and Chinese battery-materials suppliers is broadening from cost and capacity toward intellectual property, an area where established Western developers hold large, long-standing patent estates.
The Announcement
Sila said the action asserts US patents covering its foundational Si/C anode technology and seeks to address what it described as the unauthorised importation of materials protected by its investment in research and development and its global patent portfolio, which it said includes over 250 patents and patent applications filed worldwide.
Among other remedies, the company said it is seeking an exclusion order barring the importation of infringing Si/C anode materials and downstream products into the US. According to the trade publication Graphite News (Shimo Shixun), the complaint asserts four core US patents, two of which it reported had been confirmed patentable through ex parte re-examination by the USPTO. GraphiteHub has not independently verified the specific patent numbers or their status.
Sila said it has spent nearly 15 years developing and scaling Si/C anode materials, and that Titan Silicon is produced at its facility in Moses Lake, Washington, which it describes as the first operational gigawatt-hour-scale silicon anode production plant in the United States.
Not only did we develop the technology, we also built a US-based supply chain to deliver it. These industries need to advance with technology that’s deployed at scale, in America. We’re not going to allow over a decade of innovation to be undercut by companies that want to unfairly copy the output, and reduce the incentive for future innovation. Gene Berdichevsky, CEO and Co-Founder of Sila
The company also pointed to commercial alternatives to litigation. Steve Driskill, Vice President, Business Affairs, said Sila combines royalty and supply agreements to support partners moving from evaluation to scaled adoption, describing what he called a constructive path forward for participants who want to access the technology.
Background
Founded in 2011, Sila shipped what it describes as the world’s first commercially available silicon anode for lithium-ion batteries in 2021, with applications spanning consumer electronics, drones and electric vehicles. The company is scaling production at Moses Lake and counts investors including 8VC, Bessemer Venture Partners, the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board, In-Q-Tel and T. Rowe Price-advised funds.
Sila and Georgia Tech are represented by Jones Day. The respondents had not publicly responded to the complaints at the time of the announcement, and the allegations are yet to be tested before the ITC or the court.
Primary source: Sila Nanotechnologies, “Sila Files U.S. ITC & District Court Actions to Protect American Battery Innovation”, Business Wire, 18 June 2026 — view announcement.
Supporting references:
• Graphite News (Shimo Shixun) report on the filing, including the four asserted patents and re-examination detail — trade coverage, 19 June 2026.
• Sila Nanotechnologies corporate website — https://www.silanano.com/
• US International Trade Commission, Section 337 of the Tariff Act of 1930 (background on exclusion-order remedies).
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