The partnership between the global leader in niobium producer CBMM and the Canadian multinational Nano One Materials Corporation will make lithium-ion batteries more stable and safer for electric cars

The world leader in the production and sale of niobium CBMM has established a major international partnership in the battery segment with the Canadian multinational Nano One Materials Corporation. Aiming at commercialization in the electric car market, the new partnership is to develop an innovative process that reduces the cost and increases the performance of cathodes used in lithium-ion batteries, which is far superior to that of conventional technology.

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To achieve such a “feat”, the multinationals will use Niobium Oxide in this process, called “A Single Step Process” (from the English One-pot process).

Lithium-ion batteries will become more stable and safer for electric cars

According to the Companhia Brasileira de Metalurgia e Mineração, the new technology brings a significant cost reduction in the production stages of high-energy cathodes, in addition to increasing stability for prolonged charge and discharge cycles and, with that, greater battery durability. “With the support of CBMM, we are going to improve our process for the production of niobium-coated nickel-rich cathode materials, which will allow us to meet demands such as those of the electric vehicle market”, says the technical director of Nano One, Stephen Campbell.

The use of niobium protects the cathode, avoiding reactions that can cause rapid degradation in these high-performance batteries, making the metal a key element for the advancement of lithium-ion battery components. “We are focused on increasing the protagonism of niobium in lithium-ion batteries and on promoting a collaborative and lasting working relationship with Nano One, which will certainly bring important results for this market”, highlights Rogério Ribas, Head of Batteries at CBMM.

CBMM signs a partnership with Senai and inaugurates a pilot plant for a lithium-ion battery and supercapacitors that uses niobium and nanotechnology

The development of technologies with the use of niobium led by CBMM is the result of robust investments. Every year, the company invests around BRL 200 million in its Technology Program, destined to the development of innovative solutions and projects to diversify its market. In this new battery project with the Canadian company alone, R$ 60 million will be invested by the company.

In April, a partnership between the SENAI and CBMM enabled the inauguration of a pilot plant for a lithium-ion battery and supercapacitors, installed at the SENAI Institute for Innovation in Electrochemistry, in Curitiba (PR). The idea is to encourage the national ecosystem for the production of batteries and supercapacitors. The technology brings together the potential of niobium and the use of nanotechnology for the application in safer lithium-ion batteries, with faster recharge and greater stability.

And the goals of CBMM's technological revolutions do not stop there. The company has a wide list of partnerships with leading universities around the world and remains attentive to investment opportunities in startups that can increase innovations with niobium.