Nano-Nouvelle Trial Delivers Nanotech Breakthrough

A successful production trial by Australian battery technology innovator Nano-Nouvelle has proved its pioneering nanotechnology ­­­supports industrial-scale manufacture, with output rates 100 times faster.

The Sunshine Coast-based company is developing world-leading nanotechnology that can boost the energy storage capacity of lithium ion batteries by as much as 50 per cent. Lithium ion batteries are used in devices ranging from mobile phones and notebooks to and electric vehicles and home energy storage systems.

As well as proving its technology, Nano-Nouvelle has worked with companies worldwide to ensure its battery-boosting breakthrough is usable with today’s production lines.

Last month, Nano-Nouvelle completed its first roll-to-roll production trial, which saw UK manufacturing company Cemco successfully run a roll of raw membrane through a chemical plating process to produce a roll of copper-plated Lumafoil, one of several products designed by Nano-Nouvelle.

Copper Lumafoil is a three-dimensional porous material developed by Nano-Nouvelle to replace solid metal foil current collectors, which conduct stored electricity to an outside circuit. Copper Lumafoil weighs as much as 70 per cent less than existing current collectors used in lithium ion batteries.

Nano-Nouvelle CEO Stephanie Moroz said the successful roll-to-roll trial was at least 100 times faster than the company's original manual plating process with equivalent quality.

This is huge win for us.

This is the first time we have proved that our technology can be made in a mass production process. We can now produce rolls of the material for larger batteries to be used in customer field trials.

Demonstrating that our nanostructure can be produced on a commercially viable production line gives us a route to full-scale production that other forms of nanotechnology can only dream of.

Stephanie Moroz, Nano-Nouvelle CEO

Battery manufacturers that Nano-Nouvelle has briefed on the process are equally impressed. "We have seen many 3D material concepts but you are the first to demonstrate roll-to-roll processing,” said one Asian battery manufacturer. “We are very impressed."

Ms Moroz said Nano-Nouvelle had received strong interest from other customers globally. “Our next step, in the new year, is to conduct more trials with customers to show this success can be replicated in the next stages of battery assembly,” she said.

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About Nano-Nouvelle

Nano-Nouvelle is a materials technology company developing products for its 3D nano-porous conductive membranes for energy, environmental, chemical and biomedical applications. The team of top scientists at Nano-Nouvelle is pushing the boundaries of functional materials with patent filings around its core technology. The first products in development are high performance battery electrodes, which can increase energy storage capacity by as much as 50 per cent. www.nanonouvelle.com.au