Graphene batteries: Introduction and Market News - Page 30

Researchers from the Siberian Federal University (SFU), the Krasnoyarsk Research Center at the Siberian Division of the RAS, and the National University of Science and Technology MISIS have reported graphene-enhanced rechargeable lithium-ion batteries with double the capacity. To do so, they created anodes with graphene and vanadium disulfide.

The researchers say that the unit capacity of such a material arises from the fact that lithium ions are bound not only at the surface (as in conventional batteries) but also between the layers of the material. One of these layers is graphene, while the second layer is vanadium disulfide (VS₂). The overall thickness of the two-layer plate is about one nanometer. The calculations indicate that the unit capacity of anode material in such case reaches 569 mAh per gram, which is almost double that of pure graphite often applied in modern batteries.

Elcora Advanced Materials has announced the development of graphene-infused lithium-ion batteries for fast charge applications.

Elcora states that its expertise in graphene and lithium-ion battery technology will assist in this project, and that it is presently working with strategic partners (as well as in its in-house Lithium-Ion R&D Battery Lab) in development of applications.

Norway-based CealTech was established in 2012 to commercialize a patented 3D graphene production method. The company recently received its first prototype proprietary industrial-scale Plasma-Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition (PE-CVD) graphene production reactor.

We discussed CealTech's technology and business with the company's marketing and sales manager, Michel Eid. Michael holds a Ph.D. in Solid Mechanics from the Ecole Polytechnique in France, and held various roles in engineeing, manufacturing, sustaining, sales, marketing and business development. Michel joined CealTech in January 2017.

Q: Hello Michael. CealTech is commercializing a patented 3D graphene production method. Can you give us some details on the process and the material you are producing?

Our production process is based on David Boyd’s technique as per Nature communications (DOI: 10.1038/ncomms7620), ‘Single-step deposition of high-mobility graphene at reduced temperatures’. In summary, the substrate is directly exposed to a low-pressure, microwave hydrogen plasma containing small amounts of methane as carbon source. During this process, vertical grown graphene flakes nucleate and arrange perpendicularly to the surface of the substrate forming a so-called 3D network of non-agglomerated graphene flakes.

Canada-based Leading Edge Materials (formerly Flinders Resources), a graphite mining company with principal assets located in Scandinavia, has announced the initiation of a new government-funded project entitled Graphene Energy which aims to apply graphene from the Company’s Woxna graphite facility to enhance the electrical conductivity and the mechanical strength of lithium ion battery anodes. Other project partners comprise 2D fab AB, VestaSi AB, Ã…ngström Advanced Battery Centre (Ã…ABC), Uppsala University (UU) and Mid Sweden University (MIUN).

LEM receives significant support from the Swedish Government through the agency Vinnova, which funds collaborative research between companies, universities, research institutes and public sector. With the initiation of this latest project, the Company is now collaborating in four Swedish government or European Commission supported projects, demonstrating the spectrum of potential markets for Woxna graphite. Two of which are graphene-focused: The Vinnova Graphene Energy Project Announced December 6th 2017, and the Vinnova Graphene Composite Project Graphene Modified Composites for Long-Term and High-Temperature Applications Announced 8th June, 2017.

Samsung has announced the development of a unique "graphene ball" that could make lithium-ion batteries last longer and charge faster. In fact, Samsung Advanced Institute of Technology (SAIT) said that using the new graphene ball material to make batteries will increase their capacity by 45% and make their charging speed five times faster. It was also said that batteries that use graphene ball can maintain a temperature of 60 degrees Celsius that is required for use in electric cars.

SAIT's team used a chemical vapor deposition process to grow a graphenesilica assembly, called a graphene ball. Each graphene ball is composed of a SiO_x nanoparticle center and surrounding graphene layers, constituting a 3D popcorn-like structure. The graphene-ball coating improves cycle life and fast charging capability by suppressing detrimental side reactions and providing efficient conductive pathways.

UltraCharge, an Australian company based in Israel that aims to develop next-gen battery technology, has signed a cornerstone Joint Collaboration Agreement with Dotz Nano, in order to integrate graphene quantum dots (GQDs) in its anode technology for lithium-ion batteries. The agreement will see the two companies enter into a 3-month pilot cooperation program to develop longer-lasting, faster-charging and more dependable technology utilizing GQD’s.

UltraCharge and Dotz Nano intend to develop the next generation of nanoparticles producing inexpensive, non-toxic graphene quantum dots and at up to ten times the production yield compared to conventional alternatives. In addition, UltraCharge has agreed to place an initial order of a minimum of $150,000 USD worth of GQDs for use in LIB anodes, should the pilot program meet technical expectations. The initial order will be subject to UltraCharge receiving purchase orders of at least $1 million USD for their GQD-enriched anodes.

PPG, longtime developer of paints, coatings and other materials, has announced it has entered into a partnership with SiNode Systems, an advanced materials company developing silicon-graphene materials for next-gen batteries, to accelerate the commercialization of high-energy anode materials for advanced battery applications in electric vehicles.

The 30-month project will focus on the development and demonstration of anode materials that will store more energy than conventional lithium-ion battery materials, enabling electric vehicles to travel farther on a single charge or to have a lighter-weight battery. The project will focus on improving the stability and scalability of SiNode’s anode materials to meet or exceed USABC targets for a battery’s active materials, which store the energy. Raymor Industries (that recently secured a $2.3 million grant from the Canadian government to integrate graphene into lithium-ion batteries) will provide graphene to PPG, which will then prepare the material for SiNode. PPG will help both Raymor and SiNode scale up their manufacturing processes to production volumes to support the project.

Researchers from Empa and ETH Zürich have used graphene, waste graphite and scrap metal to make low-cost batteries.

The researchers’ ambitious goal at Empa is to make a battery out of the most common elements in the Earth’s crust such as magnesium or aluminum. These metals offer a high degree of safety, even if the anode is made of pure metal. This also offers the opportunity to assemble the batteries in a very simple and inexpensive way and to rapidly upscale the production. To make such batteries work, the liquid electrolyte needs to consist of special ions that do not crystallize at room temperature. The researchers were looking for a suitable cathode material, and decided to turn the principle of the lithium ion battery upside down.

Raymor Industries recently reported that it secured a $2.3 million (2.9 million CAD) grant from the Canadian government to integrate graphene into lithium-ion batteries. Raymor also manufactures carbon nanotubes for the electronics industry, and its subsidiary NanoIntegris last year launched PureWave Graphene, a substrate-free graphene grown in a plasma reactor, whose specifications are said to approach those of CVD single-layer graphene.

The $2.3 million in Sustainable Development Technology Canada funding will help the company accelerate its research and development efforts on the project, which has the potential to create batteries that perform better and last longer.

Indian start-up Log 9 Materials reports a technological breakthrough using graphene to improve the capacity of lead-acid batteries by 30%. "The life cycle had also increased by 35%", Log 9's CEO and founder stated.

We are close to commercialization and trying to partner up with existing players in the market to cater to different needs of batteries in different applications, i.e operational requirements are quite different for a car battery as compared to a storage battery for solar panel applications, he said. So far the interest has been from domestic players including the defense sector. Some of them are interested for automobile applications, others for solar energy storage, etc".