Nano One and CBMM Collaborate to Develop Niobium-Coated Battery Cathode Materials to Improve Durability and Reduce Costs

On May 12, clean technology company Nano One announced a partnership with the Brazilian Company for Mining and Metallurgy (CBMM) to jointly develop cathode materials for lithium-ion batteries. Nano One has a patented low-carbon intensity process that can produce low-cost and high-performance cathode materials for lithium-ion batteries, while CBMM is a global leading producer and commercialization leader of niobium products and technologies. Through this partnership, the two parties will use niobium from CBMM as a coating and optimize Nano One's patented One-Pot process to produce nickel-rich cathode materials.

Nano One Chief Technology Officer Dr. Stephen Campbell said: “Nano One has successfully demonstrated that niobium can be used as a coating for a variety of cathode materials and has been granted several patents with several more pending. By using the One-Pot process, we can form the coating simultaneously with the underlying cathode material, which not only reduces steps and costs, but also allows us to coat individual nanocrystals (also known as single crystals), which improves durability. Through this collaboration, we will optimize the One-Pot process to produce niobium-coated nickel-rich cathode materials for demanding applications such as electric vehicles .”

Niobium is a key element in the development of positive electrode materials for lithium-ion batteries because it can form a coating on the outer surface of each grain of the positive electrode powder. As a coating, niobium can protect the highly reactive cathode from harmful side reactions, thereby avoiding rapid degradation of high-performance batteries, while preventing the growth of interfacial resistance during battery cycling. Nano One's lithium niobate coating is a non-flammable ceramic solid electrolyte that allows lithium ions to pass through it into the cathode material during discharge while protecting the cathode from side reactions.

正如2020年1月16日和2020年6月24日所公布的，Nano One的涂层纳米晶体已被证明可以显著提高锂离子电池正极活性材料的耐用性，无需额外步骤即可进行涂覆。这种方法可降低成本，这也正是Nano One专利工艺的独特之处。

Nano One CEO Dan Danal said: "CBMM has extensive experience in niobium technology and business development. We believe that partnering with upstream companies like these will enhance our differentiation and provide strategic value to downstream partners as our technology continues to gain adoption and commercial applications."

Rogério Ribas, Executive Manager of Battery Products at CBMM, said: “CBMM is inspired by Nano One’s groundbreaking innovation and capabilities. We look forward to the increased stability that niobium can bring to high-energy lithium-ion batteries and, through our collaboration with Nano One, to the development of long-lasting lithium-ion batteries.”