Nano One and BASF enter into a joint development agreement for Lithium-ion battery materials

Nano One Materials Corp., a Vancouver-based clean technology innovator in battery materials, and BASF SE (BASF), a globally active chemical company with extensive experience in the development and manufacture of battery materials, have signed a joint development agreement (JDA).

Under the JDA, the companies will co-develop a process with reduced by-products for commercial production of next-generation cathode active materials (CAM), based on BASF’s HED-family of advanced CAM and using Nano One’s patented One-Pot process and metal direct to CAM (M2CAM) technologies.

Ludwigshafen, Germany-based BASF has a family of CAM products said to be well-suited to the evolving requirements of batteries in automotive drivetrains and a proven track record of developing these products in collaboration with others. Nano One and BASF will also use the M2CAM process for higher flexibility in terms of manufacturing approach and resulting product performance, reduced energy consumption and environmental footprint, the companies say.

The joint development plan has various phases and stage gates and is the result of evaluating Nano One’s processes and products. The signing of the JDA is also said to represent a significant milestone in the business relationship between BASF and Nano One.

Dan Blondal, Nano One CEO, said: “BASF is a global leader in chemistry and high-performance lithium-ion battery cathode materials, and we are proud to be forging new ground with them to improve performance, cost and environmental footprint for CAM production. There is a tremendous opportunity to jointly differentiate the production processes and products for a more resilient and sustainable supply chain. We look forward to advancing this partnership.”

Dr. Heiko Urtel, VP Global R&D Battery Materials, BASF SE, added, “Nano One has an advanced technology with the potential to improve the product performance of our high-performance cathode active materials and to further simplify the synthesis of battery materials . We are looking forward to building a collaborative working relationship and advancing the business opportunities for our next-generation cathode active materials.”