Nanograf Technologies claimed it had achieved an industry milestone in enabling the highest energy density in the world in its Lithium-ion 18650 cell.
There is no stopping for Chicago-based battery maker in achieving another milestone after it patented the low-cost production of Li-ion batteries.
Nanograf announced on Thursday, Oct. 20. It has achieved another breakthrough in Li-ion 18650 cells with a record industry energy density of 810 Wh/L (4.0 Ah capacity). Ah, a shorthand for Ampere hours refers to the amount of energy charged in a battery enabling 1 ampere of current to flow for one hour.
Nanograf Solves The Bottleneck
Electrek reports that the Chicago-based company said it had solved the bottleneck of commercial first-generation SiOx anodes by increasing the "stability and highly scalable nature" of its silicon-anode cell.
The silicon-anode battery, according to Techopedia, is a type of lithium-ion (Li-ion) cell where silicon nanotubes replace the anode or the positively charged electrode.
While silicon anodes in batteries have a lot of advantages over the traditional lithium anode, the technology still undergoes a lot of tests. Silicon gives longer life and supercharged energy giving way to long-lasting batteries worldwide.
'A Step Forward'
Nanograf rolled out last year its 3.8Ah 18650 cylindrical lithium-ion battery. Clearly, the latest at 4.0Ah or an energy density of 810 Wh/L is a significant improvement.
The company said its 18650 batteries and silicon anode is "a step forward" to establish a domestic battery supply chain in line with US President Joe Biden's directive.
Biden urged companies to ramp up their efforts to ease supply chain bottlenecks, the Guardian reports.
The US president warned he would "call them out" if they failed to keep his directive. And Nanograf appears to be moving along with the president's call.
Better Batteries, Better Future
The race is on to find new ways to have more power in batteries. It is not just a race for powerful batteries, however.
Nanograf CEO Francis Wang, in an article published in Lifewire, said new and better cells would also hasten the adoption of electric vehicles (EVs).
The future of battery technology is not purely about more power in every battery, but it eventually helps address climate change issues, Wang said. Nanograf's Li-ion battery, instead of the traditional anode electrode, is moving in this direction.
To usher in the new era of power generation approaching the scale of the grid, the CEO sees the need for improved batteries.
He said that power-packed batteries could be a game-changer in balancing the grid and lowering emissions.
To have better batteries is to have a better future, Wang said.
Nanograf products, he said, exemplify innovation that raises the performance of Li-ion cells while creating jobs and contributing to overall national security.
Battery Supply Chain Ranking
The United States lags behind China in the global battery supply chain ranking as of 2021. Online EVs do not see any changes four years from now.
Although the US is number two, the spot is already a big leap from its number six ranking in 2020.
To further narrow down the gap, more investments in research and development are needed to push forward the EVs industry.
Nanograf was awarded in 2019 with a $7.5 million grant from a consortium of big corporations for the research and development of EV battery research.
The company is participating in narrowing down the gap, Nanograf, in a tweet, said.
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