Vancouver-based Nano One Materials Corp. (TSX: NANO) (OTC-Nasdaq Intl Designation: NNOMF/Frankfurt: LBMB), a clean technology company producing high-performance cathode materials for use in lithium-ion batteries, has announced a shift in strategy after a busy year building a global network of strategic relationships.
On the occasion of the COP26 global climate summit held in Glasgow this month, CEO Dan Blondal announced that the focus of work on Nano One’s lithium iron phosphate (LFP) cathode materials would shift towards the creation of domestic battery supply chains in North America and Europe.
As part of this shift, Nano One has joined Accelerate, Canada’s recently launched zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) supply chain alliance, but ended its joint development activities with Pulead Technology Industry, a leading Chinese cathode producer.
In a statement, Blondal said: the aim is “to create a secure and cost competitive supply chain that is domestically integrated, with a low environmental footprint. In response, Nano One is shifting its LFP strategic direction to large emerging markets outside of China, starting in North America.”
Alliance with Euro Manganese
So far, this year, Nano One has signed a string of joint development agreements. Last month, on 4 October 2021, Nano One signed an agreement with Euro Manganese, a battery raw materials company developing a significant manganese deposit at its Chvaletice Manganese Project in the Czech Republic. The two companies will be working to develop environmentally sustainable applications of high-purity manganese for use in its cathode materials, including LNMO (lithium nickel manganese oxide) and nickel-rich NMC (lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide). LNMO and NMC materials will be prepared using Nano One’s patented One-Pot process, coated nanocrystal powders and M2CAM technology, enabling the use of sulfate-free metals and lithium carbonate as lower cost and environmentally more sustainable feedstocks.On 30 September 2021, Nano One announced the completion of a project with an undisclosed global automotive OEM (original equipment manufacturer), first announced on 20 June 2019, and signed an agreement to evaluate manganese-rich cathode materials for potential use in automotive scale battery cells.
The project demonstrated the synthesis, performance and improved durability of a proprietary and experimental nickel-rich cathode formulation, using Nano One’s patented One-Pot process. Under the terms of the agreement, the two companies will work to develop and evaluate the potential of LNMO batteries using cathode materials prepared by Nano One. This will include performance testing, economic feasibility and future potential commercial collaboration for jointly developed battery cells using Nano One’s LNMO cathode materials.
Listen: Podcast with Dan Blondal, CEO of Nano One
Nano One has been achieving sustainable development Milestones
Earlier in the same month, on 9 September, Nano One completed its Milestone 2 of the “Scaling Advanced Battery Materials” project jointly funded by Sustainable Development Technology Canada and the British Columbia Innovative Clean Energy (BC-ICE) fund. As a result, Nano One has already received advance funding for project Milestone 3, worth almost $1.7m.
On August 17, 2021, Nano One announced that its cathode evaluation programme with a global automotive company had been expanded in respect of the NMC/LNMO cathode materials. The increased scope will include an engineering report that models cathode manufacturing at an automotive scale based on Nano One’s patented One-Pot process, coated nanocrystal and M2CAM technologies.
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