NEO Battery Materials Ltd. (CVE:NBM) (OTCMKTS:NBMFF) has provided a number of updates on its recent corporate activities and initiatives as it accelerates commercialization of its silicone (Si) anode prototype.
Following the successful integration of its Si technology in commercial graphite anodes, the Vancouver-based resource company said it is in the scale-up phase and is on track to develop its first prototype of the silicon anode material.
In phase one, the company will provide graphite/Si mixture anode materials with different levels of NEO's Si content for controllable anode specific capacity. NEO has recently achieved about 500 milliamp hours per gram (mAh/g), which is a 70% capacity enhancement compared to commercial graphite anodes. By increasing Si content, about a two times higher value with reasonable long-term durability for commercialization will be soon achieved, the company added.
READ: NEO Battery Materials reports success in integrating silicon into graphite-based anodes
NEO said it has started to formulate its silicon anodes on a reactor to model and simulate the contiguous, single-step process. This step is required for large-scale manufacturing along with the feasibility study and pilot project design. It will be moving forward to test its silicon anodes through full pouch cells and will continue to evaluate and improve the materials through third-party laboratory tests and validations.
In the latest initiative, NEO director and chief scientific advisor Dr Jong Hyeok Park will begin the testing and modification of its silicon anode materials with sulfide-based solid-state electrolytes to enable compatibility and working performance with solid-state batteries. It said the integration into solid-state battery technology is essential as the industry is facing a solid-state transition due to cost, run-time, durability, and safety.
Over the past three months, NEO said it has signed 11 non-disclosure agreements which include solid-state electrolyte (SSE) developers, battery cell materials, metals developers and manufacturers, and financial advisory firms.
With Korea Metal Silicon Co, NEO is in the process of discussing and attempting to integrate each party's technology to explore synergies within the silicon powder and anode manufacturing process.
NEO has also started its silica mining work in Golden, British Columbia. Samples will be sent to Bureau Veritas Minerals where they will be analyzed to confirm the percentage of silicon in the quartzite samples. It intends to seek synergies and cost reductions made within the value chain of mine to silicon anode materials and manufacturing.
The company is currently in the process of becoming listed on the OTCQB market, which will provide additional liquidity for shares through increased exposure in the US market.
NEO is focused on battery metal exploration in North America, focusing on developing silicon anodes through nanocoating an ion-conductive elastomer layer, which provides improvements in capacity and efficiency over lithium-ion batteries using graphite in its anode materials. The company intends to become an integrated silicon producer and anode materials supplier to the electric vehicle industry.
Contact the author at stephen.gunnion@proactiveinvestors.com