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Eco Investor July 2016 Unlisted Companies Nano-Nouvelle Boosts Lithium Battery PerformanceBattery technology innovator Nano-Nouvelle has developed world-leading nanotechnology that can boost the energy storage capacity of lithium ion batteries by up to 50 per cent, and is aiming to have its first sales within two years. Chief executive, Stephanie Moroz said the company is working with battery manufacturers in Japan, Korea, China, Europe, USA and Israel to integrate its technology with their cell designs and manufacturing processes. The initial markets are small batteries for consumer electronic products such as mobile phones. While the time frame is fairly certain, the sales will be initial revenue and subject to the usual risks involved in scaling up. The technology can also be developed for larger batteries for electric cars and the grid. Ms Moroz estimates it would take another year to scale up further to begin initial revenue for the larger products. Nano-Nouvelle's core technology is a paperlike and porous polymer substrate material that is coated with a nano-scale structure that conducts electricity. Its core product is a conductive membrane called the Nanode, which can be customized by varying the coatings and sizes. Its first product is the Tin Nanode, an anode for lithium ion batteries. Ms Moroz said this is made of three layers. The substrate is coated with copper which acts as an electrical conductor, and then coated with tin as the active material. Tin has a higher energy density than graphite technology and is superior to the foil/ particle system that is used as the electrode on current lithium ion batteries. The Tin Nanode can store the same amount of energy as lithium batteries but in a smaller volume, reducing battery size and cost. Charging speed is also faster. The Tin Nanode is flexible, easy to handle, and can be dropped in to replace graphite electrodes during assembly of the battery cells. Among its other manufacturing advantages, a Tin Nanode can replace both sides of a conventional graphite anode, and replace the current collector foil as the current collector is integrated into the nanostructure.
Nano-Nouvelle and its team of scientists and engineers is based in the Sunshine Coast, Queensland. The company developed its platform technology in 2008. In 2011 it focused on batteries and in 2014 it focused on lithium ion batteries. But it is now also looking at sodium ion batteries. Nano-Nouvelle is collaborating with the University of Wollongong and Australian and international partners to develop sodium ion batteries for renewable energy storage. This is a $10.6 million project including $2.7 million recently won from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA). The Tin Nanode was identified as an excellent candidate for the anode technology being developed for the project. Nano-Nouvelle is providing in-kind contributions of expertise and electrode samples for prototyping and validation. "We are happy for the opportunity to integrate our Nanode tin-based anode, developed for lithium ion batteries, into the S4 sodium-ion battery packs," said Ms Moroz. Sodium is cheap but sodium-based batteries need to have a higher charge and discharge rate and smaller size. The project will develop and integrate a new type of sodium-ion battery in a low-cost, modular and expandable energy storage system that will be demonstrated at the Illawarra Flame House and Sydney Water's Bondi Sewage Pumping Station. The partners said current energy storage systems rely heavily on lithium-ion battery technology, and it is predicted the cost of lithium and cobalt will rise sharply as electric vehicles and other storage applications become widespread. A low-cost battery chemistry that can compete with lithium-ion batteries could provide a new class of energy storage solutions. The manufacturing partners, McNair Technology, Hebei ANZ, Hong Cheng Electric Power, and Nano-Nouvelle, will develop the manufacturing techniques and capacity to mass-produce the sodium-ion cells for the project and for anticipated future demand. The project is expected to be completed in early 2020, so for Nano-Nouvelle the project is about longer term product diversification. Project leader and director of the Institute for Superconducting & Electronic Materials, professor Shi Xue Dou said a single, cheap and integrated solution for renewable energy generation, storage and management would significantly improve uptake of renewable power and be a game-changer in providing cheap, energy-dense storage. It will provide a way to reduce demand on the grid and the cost of upgrading infrastructure for utilities, particularly in remote regions. Nano-Nouvelle has won the support of venture capital and angel investors. In 2015, it received $3.7 million in a Series C investment round that was led by existing investor Terra Rossa Capital and supported by private investors including Bradley Maguire and Simon Hackett, the executive chairman of RedFlow. Ms Moroz said the company will need more funding to reach initial sales, so it is aiming to raise capital later this year. Nano-Nouvelle has won industry recognition. It was included in The 2016 Top 50 Tech Pioneers Report which identified the region's top 50 technology companies based on capital raised, marketplace traction and innovation, among other criteria. The inaugural Tech Pioneers 50 Report was prepared by venture capital firm H2 Ventures and asset manager Investec. Last year Nano-Nouvelle one of the Top 30 Finalists in the Global Cleantech Cluster Association's (GCCA) 2015 Later Stage Awards for mid to late-stage cleantech companies. They were assessed by the KeyStone Compact business risk rating methodology developed by Dr Peter Adriaens, Head Judge of the Awards. The nominations were narrowed down from more than 110. The 30 finalists were investment grade with strong product differentiation, scalable business models and market traction.
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