Technology Overview

The conventional lithium-ion battery has taken the world very far in terms of technological development. However, several issues have emerged over the past decade. This includes problems arising from mining of rare metals, safety concerns, battery degradation which leads to expensive replacement costs, slow charging speed, short cycle life, as well as end-of-life battery recycling challenges.

Based in Japan, the technology owner has developed proprietary electrodes for rechargeable battery which is made of organic carbon material. Derived from sustainable sources such as cotton, the organic carbon material enables high degree of safety in rechargeable batteries due to its strong bonding with oxygen. Using organic carbon as the anode and coupled with metal oxide-based cathode, this battery chemistry offers 8-10 times faster charging and over 8000 cycle life, compared to up to 1500 cycles for conventional lithium-ion battery chemistries. The organic carbon electrode inherently prevents overheating issues, and also provides increased energy density batteries suitable for use in e-scooters, drones and energy storage systems.

Currently, the technology owner is developing full carbon battery prototypes using the organic carbon as both the anode and cathode. This will effectively eliminate the need for rare metals such as nickel, cobalt and manganese typically used in cathodes of lithium-ion batteries. The technology owner is seeking industry partners from the energy storage and personal mobility space to adopt the technology and co-develop customised battery packs for use in their applications.

Technology Features, Specifications and Advantages

• The organic carbon electrode batteries are non-explosive, has a long lifespan of more than 20 years and may help reduce the need for thermal management system in battery packs.
• Offers 8-10 times faster charging and over 8000 cycle life, e.g. batteries implemented in e-bike can be charged in 20 minutes, compared to 3 hours using conventional lithium-ion batteries.
• Battery materials are non-toxic, recyclable and suitable for high ambient temperature conditions.

Potential Applications

• Energy storage solutions for portable battery, renewable energy, home energy management systems, data centre, satellites and shared mobilities.
• The technology owner has designed battery packs for e-bikes, e-scooters, drones and portable battery systems and is currently working to integrate their battery technology into renewable energy storage systems.

Customer Benefit

• Reasonable costs of raw materials, reduced replacement costs and operating costs for batteries.
• Improved product safety, capable of fast charging and recyclable.
• Reduced CO2 emission, contributing to tax-related savings and carbon credit.