EnerG2 and BASF in strategic partnership to improve and scale-up carbon materials for supercaps and start-stop PbA batteries

18 November 2014

EnerG2, a Seattle-based company manufacturing advanced carbon materials for next-generation energy storage devices (earlier post), and BASF have entered a strategic partnership to collaborate to improve and to scale-up the production of EnerG2’s proprietary carbon materials for use in supercapacitor electrodes and as a performance additive in start-stop lead-acid batteries.

Engineered carbons enhance storage performance by providing higher voltage and energy in supercapacitors and by significantly increasing the charging rate of lead-acid batteries at a partial-state-of-charge. EnerG2’s patented carbon technology platform enables large-scale production of carbon materials that surpass the limitations of the carbons traditionally used in energy storage.

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Controlling the molecular structure and synthesis of these advanced materials at early stages of production provides the ability to tailor the carbon properties to specific applications. This unique manufacturing process results in ultra-high purity material with customizable porosity.

BASF is providing funding, technical expertise, and marketing know-how in a partnership with EnerG2 to enrich its RD initiatives and to accelerate its market penetration.

EnerG2’s technology platform complements the in-house activities of BASF’s research and development as well as BASF’s global business unit for battery materials. Energy storage materials are an essential part of BASF’s strategy to enable electromobility. Furthermore, EnerG2 will also work closely with BASF to broaden its global reach, particularly in Asia and Europe.

This alliance optimally blends EnerG2’s innovation and responsiveness with BASF’s stability and an unquestionable ability to scale. We will use the funding not only to bolster our operational capacity but also to explore market opportunities with BASF. This strategic partnership will be a game-changer: it will enable us to continue serving our customers with the highest purity and highest performing carbon products, but now with the participation of a truly global player. We look forward to exploring a host of additional opportunities with BASF as we deepen our relationship over the coming months and years

EnerG2 has developed a unique approach that engineers the molecular structure of a polymer precursor in order to customize the nanostructure, and, therefore, the performance of the resulting carbon. EnerG2’s proprietary Carbon Technology Platform has two key components:

• polymer-chemistry-based precursor formulation; and
• processing parameters that transform that precursor into customized carbon.

The combination of these elements results in a flexible, competitive process that can produce carbon materials for diverse energy storage applications.