Powering the World with Silicon

SiMat EnerTech is focused on creating cost-effective and safe silicon-based lithium ion batteries for every day consumer energy needs. Using its groundbreaking and environmentally friendly processing methods, SiMat EnerTech is able to create a silicon-based anode that has a high energy density, long cycle life and fast charge capabilities.

SiMat EnerTech’s Video Explainer

Critical Need for this Technology

As the automotive industry shifts away from fossil fuels to renewable energy, the need for better storage solutions has grown. To meet these needs, there is a race to develop the next energy storage solution for vehicles that are safe, cost effective, and provide a high energy density.

Current battery technology is cost prohibitive. The cost of a battery pack currently makes up about 40 percent of the total price of an electric vehicle. To make electric vehicles competitive to their internal combustion engine counterparts, several improvements need to be made to current state of the art batteries. Namely, the cost, energy density, charge rate and size are some of the most important features.

SiMat EnerTech’s silicon-based batteries have the advantage over the current technology because they provide a very high capacity battery that both reduces the size and charge time needed for operation, providing more options for automotive designers.

Potential CO2 Reduction

Light-duty vehicle transportation is responsible for approximately 6,000 MtCO2e of emissions annually. Electric vehicles can reduce these emissions, and they cause between 28% and 72% of the emissions relative to an internal combustion engine vehicle. In practice, these emissions reductions will not be realized immediately due to the time required for wide adoption of new technologies. SiMat EnerTech’s technology has the potential to accelerate this adoption of electric vehicles through improved battery performance and lower cost. If SiMat EnerTech’s technology accelerates electric vehicle adoption by one year, compared to current predictions for electric vehicle adoption, the additional emissions reduced would average 65-125 MtCO2e per year over the next 30 years.

Competition

  • Mainstream battery manufacturers, such as LG Chem and Panasonic.
  • Start up battery manufacturers, such as Paraclete and Nanograf.

Potential Markets

SiMat EnerTech’s rechargeable batteries can apply to any application with batteries. The market available to SiMat’s batteries range from consumer electronics all the way to electric vehicle batteries. Its goals are to bring high energy, fast charging and long cycle life batteries to vehicles such as hybrid electric vehicles, drones and electric planes.

R & D Status of Project

While still in the beginning stages of research, SiMat EnerTech has validated the feasibility of its technology in a laboratory environment. The company has tested its anodes in half cells and are planning for full cell validation tests shortly.

Team Overview

Leon Shaw – Inventor, CEO and President

Chris Passolano – Chief Engineer

Technology Profile

Status: R&D
Primary industry: Energy Storage
Category: Rechargeable Lithium Ion Batteries

 

 

Latest News

See All
  • Sustainable Time Travel Technology Earns CRI Golden Buzzer Award

    The coveted Golden Buzzer Award was given for the first time at CRI’s Cohort 7 Pitch Competition. This year, to celebrate the return of in-person Finals at Argonne National Laboratory, organizers of the event added the ‘Golden Buzzer’ Award. It functions like the popular gameshow, … Read More

  • Finalists Chosen for CRI’s Cohort 7

    Eighteen individuals comprising 16 startups advanced to the Finals pitch competition to join Chain Reaction Innovations’ Cohort 7. A broad range of energy innovations are represented in this year’s applicants, including energy storage and generation, decarbonization, circular economy, manufacturing, materials and vehicle technologies and materials. Read More

  • Semi-Finalists Chosen For CRI's Cohort 7

    Thirty individuals comprising 28 startup technologies were chosen to advance to the semi-finals and compete to join Chain Reaction Innovations’ (CRI) Cohort 7. A broad range of energy innovations are represented in this year’s applicants, including energy storage and generation, water, decarbonization, circular economy, quantum, … Read More

  • Entrepreneurship program at Argonne National Laboratory opens applications for startups

    Develop your clean energy or climate tech startup with the support of Argonne National Laboratory’s Chain Reaction Innovations program. Apply now, applications close at 5 p.m. CST, Nov. 30, 2022. Chain Reaction Innovations (CRI), the entrepreneurship program at The U.S. Department of Energy’s ( … Read More

  • 5 clean energy startups chosen for Argonne’s Chain Reaction Innovations

    Cutting-edge startups embed at Argonne to develop innovative technologies that can reduce greenhouse gas emissions and strengthen emerging U.S. energy technologies. Aerial view of Argonne. (Image by Argonne National Laboratory.) Seven new innovators will join Chain Reaction Innovations (CRI), the Lab-Embedded Entrepreneurship Program (LEEP) … Read More