NanoGraf Technologies cracks the code for making both silicon anodes and profits

January 16, 2019 | Case Study

NanoGraf Technologies, formerly SiNode Systems, started its work on silicon anodes in 2012 – well after many of its competitors, such as Amprius (2008) and Nexeon (2006), focused on the idea. Silicon anodes remain a promising battery technology due to their high capacity, roughly 10 times higher than incumbent graphite, but have failed to reach commercialization due to tradeoffs in manufacturing cost, cycle life, and/or coulombic efficiency. Lured by the promise of leveraging a growing silicon supply chain for solar photovoltaics and the appetite for higher-energy-density batteries, dozens of startups emerged. Of the companies Lux has spoken with, only NanoGraf Technologies has claimed profitability.