The U.S. Department of Energy (DoE) recently announced the selection of 13 projects through a Battery Manufacturing Lab Call with combined funding of almost $15 million over three years. The call sought proposals from National Laboratories to establish public-private partnerships that address engineering challenges for advanced battery materials and devices, with a focus on de-risking, scaling, and accelerating adoption of new technologies.
One of the selected projects (Under the lead of Argonne National Laboratory) involves Wisconsin-based startup SafeLi (now renamed: Conovate), which will aim to scale-up the production of graphene monoxide for next-generation LIB anodes. In October 2019, SafeLi received a Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) grant to develop lithium-ion battery parts made from a unique, patented material called graphene monoxide. This material is said to dramatically boost the energy storage capacity of li-ion batteries.
Daniel R Simmons, Assistant Secretary for DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), said: DOE’s investments under this opportunity will help accelerate the scientific breakthroughs needed to strengthen U.S. economic leadership in battery manufacturing.