Greentech Lead America: 3M, a battery materials provider,
is investing in research and manufacturing of Silicon (Si) based 3M anode
materials.
The technology enables advanced batteries for reliable
power that is required to keep up with the global increase of mobile societies
and electric vehicles.
3M was recently granted U.S. patent, 8,071,238 for its
Silicon anode compositions that can increase cell capacity by over 40 percent
when matched with high-energy battery cathodes. The company has invested
resources and expertise toward commercialization of battery technology for the
past 15 years.
3M’s investments into the high-energy metal based anode
for lithium ion batteries include matching a recent U.S. Department of Energy
(DOE) grant for $4.6 million as part of efforts to build more energy-efficient
vehicles.
The research will help develop and integrate new cell
materials that will make a transformative change in energy density and in cost
in lithium ion batteries used in electric vehicles. Especially critical to the
project success is 3M’s Si based anode material.
The 3M investment in research and development includes
putting in 3M’s best battery materials technology for cathode, anode and
battery electrolyte additives into the project.
“Our investment into research and development, coupled
with our experience and portfolio of more than 40 core technologies – including
nanotechnology, adhesives, precision coating, fluoromaterials – give us the
tools and confidence in our ability to develop next-generation materials for
better cells,” said Chris Milker, business development manager for 3M
Electronic Markets Materials Division.
In addition to its investment in research and
development, 3M recently completed the first phase of Silicon anode
manufacturing capacity expansion in early 2012 in its Cottage Grove, Minn.,
facility.
The expansion included the installation of large-scale
manufacturing equipment specialized to 3M and its proprietary anode chemistry.
The U.S.-based facility will provide Si anode material to 3M’s global battery
customers.
Besides battery cathode, anode and electrolyte
technologies, 3M also offers tapes and adhesives for assembly of consumer
electronics and fluids to manage heat during the manufacture of electronic
devices.