Technology

Nexeon’s unique silicon anode material unlocks the potential of silicon to deliver increased capacity without compromising lithium-ion battery cycle-life, providing lighter batteries with more power and longer lifetime between charges. Batteries containing Nexeon’s anode material have demonstrated 400 cycles of cells with 900mAh/g and 300 cycles of cells at 1,500 mAh/g. This compares very favourably with commercial carbon anode cells, whose theoretical maximum capacity is 372 mAh/g and meets commercial targets for consumer applications by achieving 300 cycles. As well as capacity benefits, Nexeon’s materials can also offer a reduction in battery size. For example, a commercially available carbon-anode 2.6 Ah ‘18650’ Li-ion cell uses around 10g of carbon anode material; this can be replaced with 3g of Nexeon’s silicon material.

The company has a broad patent portfolio relating to high-aspect ratio silicon materials and the use of such materials in lithium-ion batteries.

Nexeon’s production process uses cheap industrial grade silicon, and the etching is done at room temperatures and pressures, validating cost assumptions and confirming its materials will show cost as well as performance benefits compared to the competition.

The company is providing material, coated anodes and cells under Material Evaluation Agreements to major battery and automotive companies, in addition to a collaboration with a major global automotive OEM to optimise its battery technology for use in electric vehicles.

Nexeon's technology is based on work carried out by Emeritus Professor Mino Green at the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering at Imperial College London.

Pilot plant

Nexeon operates a fully automated and instrumented pilot plant capable of producing more than 1kg of material a day, enough for around 500 18650 cells. The plant is modelled on a commercial manufacturing facility and gives an accurate understanding of the processes and costs associated with manufacturing anode materials. Nexeon's technology has been developed specifically to ensure that it requires no significant changes to the existing manufacturing processes for making Li-ion batteries.

Market

Latest industry estimates suggest that the global Li-ion battery market is worth around $10bn and is growing fast as more electronic devices are designed and adopted by an eager public. Independent market analyst Takeshita predicts that the market for rechargeable cells will grow sixfold to $60bn by 2020.

Investment History

Nexeon has raised a total of £55 million in investment from a range of investors including Imperial Innovations and Invesco Perpetual.