July 27, 2020

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London

United Kingdom

Synthomer Plc, one of the world’s foremost suppliers of aqueous polymers, and its partners have together been awarded £760,826 in funding from the ISCF Faraday Battery Challenge for a project focused on increasing the performance, manufacturability and environmental profile of lithium-ion battery cells. This will be achieved through improved anode and cathode raw materials and electrode formulation.

The project, named Synergy, is focused on developing step changes in the performance and environmental friendliness of lithium-ion batteries to meet the needs of electric vehicles (EVs). It combines the raw material, formulation, electrochemical knowledge and cell manufacture capabilities of Synthomer (including Synthomer’s polymer binder and William Blythe active material development teams), CPI and AMTE Power (formerly AGM Batteries).

Project Synergy will lead to manufacturing and performance improvements in the anode system. It will also focus on methods to improve the safety and environmental profile of cathode systems. The combined improvements are expected to reduce the costs of cell manufacture and help to realise the range and power output needed for the next generation of electric vehicles.

Innovate UK, the UK’s innovation agency and part of UK Research and Innovation, will fund the majority of the £1.1 million project as part of the ISCF Faraday Battery Challenge. The challenge is addressing key targets of automotive battery technology which will allow the UK to realise its commitment to move to full electrification and zero emissions vehicles.

“Despite significant improvements in battery technology, further optimisation of raw materials is needed to achieve the targets of the automotive industry,” says Tom Castle, Market Development Manager at Synthomer. “Synthomer is a global supplier of polymer binders that are used commercially in high performance lithium-ion batteries and we are pleased to bring this expertise to the project. Synergy is another example of us collaborating with active material development teams to maximise the combined value of the active and binder to cell manufacturers and ultimately to consumers.”

“The challenges of developing next generation batteries are best addressed by collaboration,” says Mike Butler, Business Development Manager at Synthomer subsidiary William Blythe. “William Blythe has a significant R&D focus on developing next generation active materials for new electric vehicles and are active in several consortia. We are pleased to be working with this strong team to further develop the UK supply chain.“

“This project cements AMTE Power’s position at the forefront of cell innovation, and forms an important part of us developing a wider portfolio of industry leading technology and developments,” comments Kevin Brundish, CEO at AMTE Power. “Synthomer, William Blythe and ourselves recognise the significance of building out a robust onshore supply chain, and take pride in collaborating to support an emerging ecosystem of green UK manufacturing.”

“CPI is delighted to be involved in this exciting project to improve the performance and environmental impact of cell technology,” comments Tony Jackson, Director of Formulation at CPI. “The project utilises our expertise and capabilities in developing next-generation battery technology to help deliver UK based innovation into this important sector.”