Umicore and Nano One enter into Joint Development Agreement for battery materials process technology

Umicore, a circular materials technology company, and Nano One® Materials Corp. (“Nano One”), a clean technology company, announce the signing of a non-exclusive Joint Development Agreement (JDA) on production process technologies for cathode active materials (CAM) for lithium-ion batteries. Under the agreement, Umicore will evaluate Nano One’s patented M2CAM® One-Pot process technology with the intention to integrate it with Umicore’s proprietary process technology for the production of high nickel NMC (nickel, manganese, cobalt) CAM. With the agreement both parties aim to leverage their respective technologies and know-how to further increase the throughput rate while reducing the costs and environmental footprint of CAM production.

Dr. Stephen Campbell, CTO of Nano One, said “With Umicore, we share a common goal to improve the environmental footprint, cost, and performance of lithium-ion batteries, through materials and process innovation. We are aligned with emerging global imperatives to create secure, resilient, and long-lasting supply chains. We look forward to developing an enduring collaborative partnership with Umicore, building on our common strengths and combined know-how."

“Innovating for a sustainable future is at the core of our business, both through organic developments and by forging research partnerships or jointly developing technologies with third parties. Our development agreement with Nano One allows us to study the feasibility of their technology with the potential and ambition to further decrease the carbon footprint and costs of CAM production. We look forward to fostering a collaborative working relationship with the Nano One team.”

Yves Van Rompaey, Senior Vice President Corporate Research and Development at Umicore

The JDA has various phases and stage gates and is the result of evaluating Nano One’s process technology. The JDA, and any future licensing opportunities, are non-exclusive.