New Zeon investment to support carbon nanotube scale-up

Tokyo – Zeon Corp. has reached a basic agreement to invest in Taiwan-based Sino Applied Technology Co. (SiAT) as part of a $20 million (€17.5 million) Series C funding round.

The investment will support SiAT’s planned expansion of its production capacity for conductive paste used in "next-generation" lithium-ion batteries, formulated with Zeon’s single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs).

Zeon currently produces SWCNTs on a commercial scale in Japan under Zeonano brand and intends to expand capacity as SiAT’s main supplier, said a company statement 26 May.

SiAT has been using Zeon’s carbon nanotubes since 2024 and sample evaluations have been promising.

According to Zeon, evaluations have shown that adding ‘trace amounts’ of the material to battery cathodes and anodes can improve energy output and extend service life.

SiAT aims to expand its annual production capacity of conductive paste to 25,000 tonnes by 2030.