OneD Battery Sciences is introducing its SINANODE process. SINANODE seamlessly integrates into existing manufacturing processes to fuse silicon nanowires onto commercial graphite powders, tripling the energy density of the anode while halving its cost per kWh, according to the company. The higher energy density increases battery range while nanowires shorten charging time.

The SINANODE process is agnostic as to which graphite is used and to the size of the graphite particle. Uniform dispersion of silicon is built in to the SINANODE process regardless of particle size.

During this decade, we will witness the largest and fastest transformation of a global industry that’s ever been seen, and the decisions made today will determine which car makers come out on top of a market poised to bring in over $6 trillion between 2025 and 2030 alone.

EV demand will be driven by range, charge time, and cost, and our SINANODE technology addresses each of these purchase drivers in a significant way.

—Vincent Pluvinage, CEO, OneD Battery Sciences

Over the last three years, graphite suppliers, cell makers, and EV makers in the US, Europe, and Asia, have tested SINANODE by applying the technology to commercial EV-grade graphite used in the anodes of EV batteries.

Key findings and benefits include:

• Increased Range and Battery Life. SINANODE successfully fuses silicon nanowires to commercial graphite powders from multiple suppliers and tripled the anode specific capacity (Capacity > 1000 mAh/g). The SINANODE anode material can then be blended with graphite, to achieve high Initial Coulombic Efficiency (to > 92%) and an higher anode specific capacity over more than 1000 full charge/discharge cycles than any state-of-the-art EV cells in production today.

• Reduced Cost. SINANODE was developed with commercial manufacturing CVD equipment available from multiple vendors, using only silane and nitrogen gases available in very large quantities at attractive costs. This reduces the investments and time necessary to scale up the SINANODE step to EV quantities, while decreasing the cost of EV anodes (measured in $ per kWh) by almost 50%, when compared to the cost of most competitive anodes used in EV batteries today.

• Seamless Integration with Increased Performance. SINANODE offers a fully differentiated, globally patented technology that can be deployed with multiple existing suppliers in multiple continents, to leverage their large investments and the supply chain strategies of the leading participants in the fast-evolving EV industry. Rather than trying to replace existing suppliers, adding SINANODE replaces inefficient steps in the current processing of silicon additives with a scalable technology that increases performance and decreases costs of the materials and cells used in EVs.

To deploy SINANODE today, the company also announced its pilot programs, providing EV OEMs with their own dedicated plant to deploy the SINANODE step, creating differentiated nanosilicon configurations for their high-performance Li-ion batteries vision and their 2024 EV production cycle ambitions.

Fabrice Hudry, a veteran energy executive, has joined OneD Battery Sciences as Chief Commercial Officer, overseeing SINANODE production as the company begins the deployment of pilot production facilities and partnerships. Hudry joins the company after a seven-year tenure at Samsung SDI, where as Vice President of Energy Solutions he built the company’s Energy Storage Solutions (ESS) from the ground-up in America.

What Silicon nanowires can do for the electric car battery is simply remarkable, and represents the most long-awaited innovation for the industry. Joining OneD Battery Sciences as the company launches their pilot program is an incredible new opportunity at the perfect time, as I’ve seen firsthand what SINANODE can do to reduce costs and optimize performance immediately. I’ve explored the future of battery technology and believe SINANODE is the only technology that will pave the road for a realistic solid-state electrolyte battery transition.

—Fabrice Hudry

Formerly OneD Material, OneD Battery Sciences operates a SINANODE pilot production program to support the development of advanced electrochemical cells and the production scale-up of its industrial partners. In 2013, OneD Battery Sciences acquired Nanosys’ nanowire technologies (SINANODE) and its Palo Alto R&D activities. Today, the Palo Alto-based company has more than 200 granted patents and applications in large scale anode production and next generation EV battery designs.