Sicona Battery Technologies aims to produce unique anodes

Sicona Battery Technologies aims to use a federal government Accelerating Commercialisation grant announced on Monday to become the first local producer of anode materials with a focus on next-generation, silicon composite batteries.

The company, which received a $704,382 grant, aims to be the first alternative source of these critical materials outside China, Korea and Japan, reducing both Australia’s and the world’s reliance upon a handful of suppliers.

Sicona CEO Christiaan Jordaan said: “This important financial support will enable us to further our efforts to develop leading edge silicon carbon composite and multifunctional polymer binder materials for the lithium-ion battery market.

“Our technology has been demonstrated to increase the capacity of lithium-ion batteries by up to 233 per cent and at a lower cost than comparable technologies.”

Sicona’s technology originally came from the Australian Institute for Innovative Materials (AIIM).

Jordaan said the company would use the grant to help build a pilot manufacturing plant in Wollongong, NSW to demonstrate the capacity to scale-up its manufacturing processes to produce advanced battery anode materials.

“This substantial funding support from the Australian Federal Government together with the significant investment Sicona received from our major investors, Artesian and EnergyLab in May and August 2020, will accelerate our ability to develop our technology at commercial scale through the construction and operation of our pilot plant.

“Sicona has already commenced developing partnerships with battery manufacturers and miners and manufacturers of silicon, graphite, carbon and polymers and the company will now be able to rapidly advance our development plans.”

Sicona is considering whether to licence out or produce in-house its anode materials.

Jordaan said: “We are confident that we will continue to make significant progress in bringing our technology to the growing global market.”

Image: Sicona Battery Technologies

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