A Northwestern University spinout has hauled in more funding from the Department of Defense for its technology that makes stronger lithium-ion batteries.
NanoGraf announced Monday that it won a $1 million development contract from DoD to create a longer-lasting battery for the Army.
The stronger battery will be used to improve the communication equipment used by soldiers in the field, the company said.
U.S. soldiers have as much as 20 pounds of lithium-ion batteries in their equipment, which powers things like helmets, goggles and other communication devices, NanoGraf said. A stronger battery can reduce that weight and improve the efficiency of their equipment.
It's the second award NanoGraf has received from the DoD. In 2020 it got a $1.65 million grant, and the following year it developed what the company said is the world’s longest-running 3.8Ah lithium-ion cell.
NanoGraf's new cell, a 4.3Ah lithium-ion battery, is expected to be ready by 2024.
Founded in 2012 and formerly known as SiNode Systems, NanoGraf's technology was initially developed at Northwestern University and Argonne National Laboratory. The startup was founded by Samir Mayekar, who is now Chicago's deputy mayor for economic and neighborhood development. NanoGraf is led today by CEO Francis Wang.
NanoGraf’s battery tech uses a composite of silicon and graphene in a layered structure to create higher cell level energy density and faster charging in lithium ion batteries. In 2016, the company received a $4 million contract with the United States Advanced Battery Consortium — made up of Ford, GM and Fiat-Chrysler — to make batteries for electric cars.
