TAGS: Nanotechnologies New Energy Solutions Electrical & Electronics
SABIC has announced the acquisition of majority stake in Black Diamond Structures (“BDS”), a nanotechnology company established in 2014. BDS produces and commercializes MOLECULAR REBAR®, a proprietary technology of modified carbon nanotubes that offers great potential for enhancing the performance of energy storage applications using lead-acid and lithium-ion batteries mainly especially in the mobility industry.
MOLECULAR REBAR® Modified Carbon Nanotubes Enhance Performance of Energy Storage Applications
BDS is being added as part of SABIC’s Specialties business. According to Alan Leung, Vice President of Specialties, the carbon nanotube technology of BDS will allow Specialties to address several demanding challenges in the energy storage market.
BDS provides
game-changing benefits to battery manufacturers looking for breakthrough improvements in:
- Charge rates,
- Battery cycle life and
- Energy density
Conventional Carbon Nanotubes Vs MOLECULAR REBAR®
Conventional carbon nanotubes are known for:
- Their tendency to get entangled, cake and
- Hold high residual impurities,
- Limiting their capabilities of enhancing electrical and mechanical material properties in real world applications
In contrast, the MOLECULAR REBAR® product supplied by BDS delivers
clean and discrete carbon nanotubes of uniform aspect ratio, enabling their use to create high-performance energy storage applications.
BDS Chief Executive Officer, John Hacskaylo, says that this proprietary nanomaterial can be directly incorporated in existing production processes of batteries without requiring additional investments, allowing a fast-track for manufacturers to improve their next generation of batteries. Tests have shown that MOLECULAR REBAR® type carbon nanotubes significantly:
- Improve the cycle life of a lead-acid battery and
- Enhance the performance of lithium-ion batteries to meet the increased power capacity demands of the industry
Meeting Global Demand for Lighter Batteries in Mobility Industry
Moreover, Hacskaylo expects MOLECULAR REBAR® to play an effective role in the downgauging and downsizing of new battery designs. This helps to:
Leung envisions that adding the MOLECULAR REBAR® technology to the portfolio of SABIC’s Specialties business can also open new opportunities beyond the energy storage market and unleash innovations in material science for
enhancing the properties of specialty resins and functional compounds.
Source: SABIC