NBMSiDE® P-300N: Advanced Prototype for Mass-Producibility Testing with Highest Capacity Retention Achieved to Date
Average Coulombic Efficiency of Over 99.8% with High Initial Capacity While Maintaining Low-Cost Production
Two Variations of P-300N Launched for Different Industry Requirements
Undergoing Long-Term Battery Performance Testing with P-300N & High Capacity Retention Realized Over 300 Cycles
Mass-Producibility Testing Conducted with P-300N
Will Produce Near-Commercial Batteries with 3 to 5 Ah Capacities with Global Battery Value Chain Players
NEO Battery Materials Ltd. (“NEO” or the “Company”) (TSXV: NBM) (OTC: NBMFF), a low-cost silicon anode materials developer that enables longer-running, rapid-charging lithium-ion batteries, is pleased to introduce NBMSiDE® P-300N, an advanced silicon anode product with the highest capacity retention achieved to date. The P-300N is a mass-producible prototype optimized to enhance battery stability while maintaining low-cost production.
P-300N Silicon Anode: Highest Capacity Retention Achieved to Date
Building on the foundation of the P-300 silicon anode introduced in January, NBMSiDE® P-300N is the Company’s latest engineering feat with the highest capacity retention achieved to date. NEO’s R&D successfully refined the synthesis process and material characteristics while maintaining low costs and minimizing initial capacity loss.
NEO’s priority is optimizing the 50-cycle average Coulombic Efficiency1 (CE) on the half cell2 using a 100% pure silicon anode. With this rigorous testing condition3, a high CE over the first 50 cycles is strictly required for and determines high capacity retention in long battery performance tests of 300+, 500+, and 1,000+ cycles.
Compared to predecessors, the P-300N has recorded the highest 50-cycle average CE of over 99.8%. Moreover, due to the flexibility of NEO’s synthesis method, two P-300N variations have been produced to cater to different industry needs:
High-Capacity Variant: Demonstrates initial capacity over 2,000 mAh/g with an average CE of over 99.5% and maintaining performance with 50+ cycles
High-Stability Variant: Provides a balance of cycle performance and capacity with an average CE of over 99.8% with approximately 2,000 mAh/g in initial capacity
P-300N is positioned as a low-cost, competitive solution for wide applications, including 1) electronics, power tools, or drone/UAV4 that require high capacity with ultra-fast charging/discharging and 2) EV and energy storage that require high capacity with long-term stability.
Next Steps: Full Cell Testing & Scaling Up for Commercialization
Due to surpassing half cell results, NEO is undergoing long-term full cell5 tests of 300+ cycles with the P-300N. With various cathode chemistries, P-300N is combined with graphite to form high-capacity silicon-graphite anodes6. High capacity retention has been realized, but once all internal targets are achieved, the Company will announce technical results through a subsequent news release.
With scale-up efforts initiated as of February, the P-300N will be the main product for mass-producibility testing. A key advantage of the P-300N is its adaptability to mass production without modifying existing processing equipment. After completing small-scale optimization, NEO plans to manufacture near-commercial battery cells with 3 to 5 Ah capacities with global battery value chain players.
P-300N: Technical Details of Optimization
The upgraded P-300N incorporates key refinements in particle size distribution, shape control, and composite layer coating on the silicon particle. The composite layer coating offers enhanced protection against the direct contact of the silicon anode and electrolyte, mitigating capacity loss and improving cycling life. Additionally, a reinforced polymer coating network aids in mechanical stress dissipation without compromising conductivity between silicon particle structures.
1Coulombic Efficiency (CE): Ratio of electrons transferred out from an electrode material/battery during discharging to the number transferred into the material during charging over a full charging cycle (Discharging Capacity-to-Charging Capacity). Ex. If the current discharging capacity is 2,000 mAh/g and the preceding charging capacity was 2,500 mAh/g, the Coulombic efficiency is 80%.
2Half Cell/5Full Cell: Lithium-ion battery comprises all four core materials (cathode, anode, separator, and electrolyte). Generally, battery anode materials proof-of-concept and optimization are completed with half cells. Only the anode, separator, and electrolyte are used with a lithium-metal counter electrode that may supply infinite lithium ions. Full cells have a limited number of lithium-ions, given that commercial-level cathode materials retain a limited supply of lithium ions compared to lithium-metal. Consequently, capacity retention is heavily affected by Coulombic efficiency at every charging cycle.
3Lithium-ion battery anode materials are either comprised solely of graphite or trace amounts of silicon (approximately 2 to 10%) with graphite. Without graphite, an unprocessed 100% silicon anode’s capacity degrades rapidly due to silicon’s volume expansion. Even if a processed silicon anode is used, the technical and cost barriers preclude the commercialization of a 100% pure silicon anode. Therefore, the industry recognizes that a 100% pure silicon anode testing condition is one of the most technologically rigorous and challenging conditions for battery testing.
4UAV: Unmanned Aerial Vehicle
6Silicon-Graphite Anode: For commercial-level lithium-ion battery anodes, silicon anodes cannot wholly replace graphite anodes. Hence for certain batteries, silicon anodes and graphite anodes are mixed to form a blended anode called silicon-graphite anodes. On average, silicon anodes comprise approximately 5 to 10% of the anode material.
About NEO Battery Materials Ltd. NEO Battery Materials is a Canadian battery materials technology company focused on developing silicon anode materials for lithium-ion batteries in electric vehicles, electronics, and energy storage systems. With a patent-protected, low-cost manufacturing process, NEO Battery enables longer-running and ultra-fast charging batteries compared to existing state-of-the-art technologies. The Company aims to be a globally-leading producer of silicon anode materials for the electric vehicle and energy storage industries. For more information, please visit the Company’s website at: https://www.neobatterymaterials.com/.
On Behalf of the Board of Directors Spencer Huh Director, President, and CEO
This news release includes certain forward-looking statements as well as management's objectives, strategies, beliefs and intentions. All information contained herein that is not clearly historical in nature may constitute forward-looking information. Generally, such forward-looking information can be identified notably by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "plans", "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", or "believes", or variations of such words and phrases or state that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will be taken", "occur" or "be achieved". Forward-looking information is subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information, including but not limited to: volatile stock prices; the general global markets and economic conditions; the possibility of write-downs and impairments; the risk associated with the research and development of advanced and battery-related technologies; the risk associated with the effectiveness and feasibility of technologies that have not yet been tested or proven on commercial scale; manufacturing process scale-up risks, including maintaining consistent material quality, production yields, and process reproducibility at a commercial scale; compatibility issues with existing battery chemistries and unforeseen the risks associated with entering into and maintaining collaborations, joint ventures, or partnerships with battery cell manufacturers, original equipment manufacturers, and various companies in the global battery supply chain; the risks associated with the construction, completion, and financing of commercial facilities including the Windsor and South Korean facilities; the risks associated with supply chain disruptions or cost fluctuations in raw materials, processing chemicals, and additive prices, impacting production costs and commercial viability; the risks associated with uninsurable risks arising during the course of research, development and production; competition faced by the Company in securing experienced personnel and financing; access to adequate infrastructure and resources to support battery materials research and development activities; the risks associated with changes in the technology regulatory regime governing the Company; the risks associated with the timely execution of the Company’s strategies and business plans; the risks associated with the lithium-ion battery industry’s demand and adoption of the Company’s silicon anode technology; market adoption and integration challenges, including the difficulty of incorporating silicon anodes within battery manufacturers and OEMs systems; the risks associated with the various environmental and political regulations the Company is subject to; risks related to regulatory and permitting delays; the reliance on key personnel; liquidity risks; the risk of litigation; risk management; and other risk factors as identified in the Company’s recent Financial Statements and MD&A and in recent securities filings for the Company which are available on www.sedarplus.ca. Forward-looking information is based on assumptions management believes to be reasonable at the time such statements are made, including but not limited to, continued R&D and commercialization activities, no material adverse change in precursor prices, development and commercialization plans to proceed in accordance with plans and such plans to achieve their stated expected outcomes, receipt of required regulatory approvals, and such other assumptions and factors as set out herein. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such forward-looking information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking information. Such forward-looking information has been provided for the purpose of assisting investors in understanding the Company's business, operations, research and development, and commercialization plans and may not be appropriate for other purposes. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. Forward-looking information is made as of the date of this presentation, and the Company does not undertake to update such forward-looking information except in accordance with applicable securities laws.
Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
