Nano One Materials Corp (TSX:NANO, OTC:NNOMF) has announced the signing of a non-exclusive joint development agreement (JDA) on production process technologies for cathode active materials (CAM) for lithium-ion batteries with Belgian firm Umicore NV.
Under the agreement, Umicore will evaluate Nano One's patented M2CAM One-Pot process technology with the intention to integrate it with Umicore's proprietary process technology for the production of high nickel NMC (nickel, manganese, cobalt) CAM.
With the agreement, both parties aim to leverage their respective technologies and know-how to further increase the throughput rate while reducing the costs and environmental footprint of CAM production.
In a statement, Dr Stephen Campbell, CTO of Nano One, commented: "With Umicore, we share a common goal to improve the environmental footprint, cost, and performance of lithium-ion batteries, through materials and process innovation. We are aligned with emerging global imperatives to create secure, resilient, and long-lasting supply chains. We look forward to developing an enduring collaborative partnership with Umicore, building on our common strengths and combined know-how."
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Yves Van Rompaey, senior vice president Corporate Research and Development at Umicore, added: "Innovating for a sustainable future is at the core of our business, both through organic developments and by forging research partnerships or jointly developing technologies with third parties. Our development agreement with Nano One allows us to study the feasibility of their technology with the potential and ambition to further decrease the carbon footprint and costs of CAM production. We look forward to fostering a collaborative working relationship with the Nano One team."
The JDA has various phases and stage gates and is the result of evaluating Nano One's process technology. The JDA, and any future licensing opportunities, are non-exclusive.
Umicore is a circular materials technology group focused on application areas where its expertise in materials science, chemistry and metallurgy makes a real difference. Umicore's industrial and commercial operations as well as R&D activities are located across the world to best serve its global customer base. The group generated revenues (excluding metal) of €2.1 billion (turnover of €13.8 billion) in the first half of 2022 and currently employs 11,350 people.
Nano One Materials is a clean technology company with a patented, scalable and low-carbon intensity industrial process for the low-cost production of high-performance lithium-ion battery cathode materials. It employs approximately 120 people at its innovation and commercialization hubs in British Columbia and Québec, including the only LFP plant and production team in North America. It has strategic collaborations and partnerships, that include Rio Tinto, BASF, Umicore, CBMM and various automotive OEMs.
Nano One's technology is applicable to electric vehicles, energy storage, consumer electronics and next-generation batteries in the global push for a zero-emission future. Its One-Pot process, its coated single crystal materials, and its Metal to Cathode Active Material (M2CAM) technologies address fundamental performance needs and supply chain constraints; they also reduce equipment and raw material costs, operating expenses, and carbon intensity; and they eliminate a significant waste stream for a much-improved environmental footprint.
Contact the author at jon.hopkins@proactiveinvestors.com