Specialist battery materials tech firm Nano One (TSX:NANO/FSE:LBMB) has confirmed the successful completion of its joint development project with Saint-Gobain. This is one of a number of strategic partnerships in which the company is currently engaged.
Th Sant-Gobain project began in December 2018 and focused on optimisation of the thermal processing of Nano One produced cathode materials and Saint-Gobain’s furnace materials under a range of firing conditions. Nano One said that success on this project has paved the way for additional collaborative opportunities that are currently under consideration.
Project contributes to battery materials scaling project
The project has provided valuable insight on thermal processing conditions for various cathode materials and furnace materials. It has led to the development of thermal processing expertise to optimise the performance of cathode materials.
Potential future work will build on those outcomes, add manufacturing know-how and enhance the value of the process technology and business offerings.
Saint-Gobain remains a consortium member within Nano One’s “Scaling Advanced Battery Materials” project supported by Sustainable Development Technology Canada and the British Columbia Innovative Clean Energy fund. The project is a good example of Nano One’s important role in advancing knowledge of battery materials efficiency, working with larger partners.
Natesh Krishan, General Manager of Engineered Ceramics of Saint-Gobain, said, “Our product development teams have made good progress in the evaluation of the thermal aspects of cathode material synthesis. The partnership with Nano One has been important to Saint-Gobain through advancing our understanding of the cathode material firing process to allow an enhanced product offering to better serve this market.”
Having built a positive working relationship over the past two years, Nano One and Saint-Gobain are discussing the scope of work for additional joint projects and will continue to explore future business and co-development opportunities.
Strategic partnerships are important for Nano One
Nano One continues to work with a range of partners on a variety of separate products, designed to advance technical knowledge in both batteries and in battery materials supply chains.
In June Nano One significantly announced it would be partnering with Johnson Matthey, now one of Europe’s fastest growing cathode manufacturers. Johnson Matthey is currently significantly expanding its lithium-ion battery operations and is focusing on high value nickel rich cathode active materials.
Many of Nano One’s partnerships are built around the twin pillars of increasing battery efficiency – e.g. making batteries last longer, and making them more energy efficient – while also making battery supply chains more sustainable.
In the case of Johnson Matthey, the company is setting a new standard, aligning sustainability values with a reduced environmental footprint. It is working with Nano One to achieve low-carbon footprint technology and cost savings. The partnership is also engaged in advanced materials testing at scale, along with a detailed commercialisation study for a pre-pilot pilot, and scaled up production.
Nano One’s proprietary One Pot process is designed to form a type of cathode material known as coated single crystal, which can deliver increased durability. The process also enables cathode materials to be made directly from metal powders and lithium carbonate, which can address cost issues, as well as energy consumption and sustainability challenges within the lithium-ion battery supply chain.
