There is a significant unmet market need for nano-silicon to unleash longer-range, faster-charging electric vehicles and a cleaner energy future.
Ionic MT’s mission is to become the world’s leading producer of drop-in nano-silicon anode powders for the next generation of advanced lithium-silicon batteries.
Interview with Andre Zeitoun, CEO & Founder of Ionic MT.
Easy Engineering: What is your product?
Andre Zeitoun: Our nano-silicon anode powder, Ionisil™, is a drop-in partial or full graphite anode replacement for lithium-ion batteries that enables significantly higher battery capacity and faster charging times for batteries and electric vehicles.
Nano-silicon anodes have significantly higher energy density than graphite anodes as they store more lithium-ions in a lithium-ion battery, which is why silicon is credited as the next big advancement in battery materials technology. Our innovative nano-silicon technology starts with the natural nanotubular structure of halloysite, a naturally occurring aluminosilicate mineral. Halloysite has a nano structure that was formed in the ground over the last 35 million years, and we use a green top-down process that requires significantly less energy input than alternative technologies to convert it to nano-silicon.
E.E: What special features does your product have?
A.Z: Ionisil™ Gen-1 has achieved the highest stable capacity nano-silicon on the nano-silicon market, which is key to a longer range battery. The unique structure of our nano-silicon allows us to address the challenges conventional silicon normally faces, namely the swelling and degradation of the battery which can occur over repeated charge-discharge cycles, causing capacity loss. Conventional silicon swells to 3x its size when in contact with lithium during charging, which causes capacity loss per charge and rupturing, reducing battery lifespan. However, Ionisil™, with its nanotubular porous structure inherited from the halloysite, means that the silicon can swell into its own pore volume, reducing battery degradation.
Electrode tests blending Ionisil™ with graphite showed that a 15% Ionisil™ substitution of graphite more than doubled the capacity of pure graphite anode. Significantly, this technology can increase the capacity at the anode level by >100% compared to graphite batteries. In commercial applications it is expected that this 15% Ionisil substitution in graphite will lead to a lithium-ion battery with 20% more energy density, which is 20% more miles per charge. In addition, Ionisil™ will add zero cost per unit of capacity to existing batteries.
The Generation 1 Ionisil™ product has been independently validated by outside EV OEM production labs, demonstrating an all-silicon battery’s capability to achieve reversible capacity of 2700 mAh/g and 2500 mAh/g at a 2000 mAh fast charging rate in half-cell testing. Ionisil will contribute to the advancement of electric vehicles and other energy storage applications, enabling more sustainable and efficient transportation solutions.
E.E: What are your forecasts for the second half of 2023?
A.Z: We are moving to our new 36,000 sq ft facility in August for commercial scale nano-silicon production, working towards our 2,000 metric tonnes per year target.
We are actively engaging with potential customers to support product development efforts. For more information about Ionisil or to inquire about purchasing or sampling, please visit the website or email info@ionicmt.com.
Ionic MT will be exhibiting at the Battery Show Europe in Stuttgart from 23-25 May 2023; you can find them at booth 8-G56.