The US Department of Energy's (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory has signed a worldwide licensing agreement with BASF that will see the company mass produce and market Argonne's patented composite cathode material to manufacturers of advanced lithium-ion batteries.
The patented material licensed to BASF is part of a suite of lithium-ion battery inventions and patents developed at Argonne with funding from the DOE's Vehicle Technologies Program.
The material employs a combination of lithium- and manganese-rich mixed-metal oxides that increases a battery's calendar life and extends the operating time between battery charges.
Moreover, the enhanced stability of the composite material permits battery systems to charge at higher voltages, which leads to a substantially higher energy storage capacity than currently available materials.
BASF plans to conduct further development of the lithium-ion material at its Beachwood, Ohio facility, and consequently commercialise the material.
Contingent upon winning a DOE grant, BASF also plans to build one of North America's largest cathode material production facilities in Elyria, Ohio.
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