Nine industry-academic coalitions to receive funding
The Upstate New York Energy Storage Engine (Engine) is pleased to announce that it has awarded more than $1.6 million in funding for research and development projects that will advance innovation in next-generation battery and manufacturing technologies. In total, 17 organizations will collaborate in industry-academia coalitions on nine projects.
M. Stanley Whittingham, Nobel laureate in chemistry, directs the Engine’s R&D pillar that was established to address the crucial challenges that exist along the entire battery life cycle. “These funded projects will help to develop technologies that eliminate the use of toxic solvents and forever chemicals from battery manufacturing processes,” he said. “They will also help us move forward in our drive to create a sustainable, domestically produced battery supply chain that will support a renewable energy economy.”
“The projects, selected following a competitive process, not only advance next-gen technologies that can give the U.S. battery industry a competitive edge, they foster cross-sector partnerships that further strengthen the region’s innovation ecosystem,” said Meera Sampath, CEO of the Engine.
The funded projects
- Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (rpi.edu/) will partner with Alsym Energy (alsym.com/) to replace traditional slurry-based lithium-ion battery electrode manufacturing with a solid-state cold spray method that eliminates toxic solvents, lowers energy use and avoids inactive additives while improving the performance and efficiency of silicon-based anodes.
- C4V (chargecccv.com/) will partner with Propriety Inc. dba Amel Energy (amelenergy.com/) and the University of Massachusetts Amherst to develop a non-toxic bio-solvent and PFAS-free binder to replace NMP and PVdF in lithium-ion battery cathode production to lower costs, simplify recycling and increase compatibility with different cathode materials.
- Ateios Systems (ateios.com/) will partner with Anovion Technologies (anoviontech.com/) and Kodak (kodak.com/en/) to develop an energy-efficient, PFA-free electrode manufacturing process enabling large-scale production of thick lithium iron phosphate-based cathodes that will boost manufacturing output, cut costs and improve energy density, offering a transformative solution for scaling domestic battery production.
- Natrion Inc. (natrion.co/) will partner with The Research Foundation for SUNY at Binghamton University (rfsuny.org/) to advance the development of its Lithium Solid Ionic Composite (LISIC) separator, a solid-state electrolyte that eliminates the need for liquid electrolyte and offers improved safety and energy density for lithium-ion and lithium-sulfur batteries.
- Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (rpi.edu/) will partner with Storagenergy Technologies Inc. (storagenergy.com/) to develop a dry processing technology for sodium-ion cathodes by avoiding toxic solvents and expensive transition metals to make sodium-ion batteries more affordable, sustainable and scalable for electric vehicles and grid storage.
- Binghamton University (binghamton.edu/) will partner with IM3NY (im3ny.com/) to develop a new dry electrode manufacturing process for lithium-ion batteries using melt extrusion technology, which eliminates toxic solvents like NMP and reduces energy consumption while offering a cost-effective, eco-friendly approach to producing high-performance, high-loading electrodes.
- New York University (nyu.edu/) will partner with Arkema, Inc. (arkema.com/usa/en/) to develop binder formulations for lithium-ion battery cathodes, focusing on developing eco-friendly, water-based binders to support the transition to sustainable energy systems.
- Binghamton University will partner with Fermi Energy Inc. (fermienergy.com/) to develop a cost-effective dry-coating method to mitigate Mn dissolution in Mn-rich cathode materials, addressing a key challenge in low-cost, high-energy lithium-ion batteries.
- Cornell University (cornell.edu/) will partner with C4V (chargecccv.com/) to optimize the electrode-electrolyte interface formation process in battery manufacturing using operando spectroscopy techniques to reduce time, energy use and costs.
About the Upstate New York Energy Storage Engine
The Upstate New York Energy Storage Engine, led by Binghamton University, is a National Science Foundation-funded, place-based innovation program. The coalition of more than 40 academic, industry, nonprofit, state and community organizations includes Cornell University, Rochester Institute of Technology, Syracuse University, LAUNCH-NY and NY-BEST as core partners. The Engine advances next-gen battery technology development and manufacturing to drive economic growth and bolster national security. Its vision is to transform upstate New York into America’s Battery Capital. For more information on the Upstate New York Energy Storage Engine, visit https://upstatenyengine.org/.
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