Zeon invests in US battery-materials developer

Tokyo – Zeon Corp. has invested in Coreshell Technologies, Inc., a San Leandro, California-based developer of a proprietary nanomaterial coating technology for electric-vehicle batteries.

Applied to the surface of electrodes that come into contact with the electrolyte, the coating allows lithium ions to pass through without the side reactions that cause battery degradation.

This increases both the capacity and the heat resistance of lithium-ion batteries, resulting in improved safety, according to Zeon’s 27 March announcement.

The coating material, it said, is also expected to reduce costs, as the coating process can be incorporated without major modifications into the current manufacturing process.

With the investment, carried out through venture capital arm Zeon Ventures Inc., the Japanese group said it will “partner with Coreshell in commercialising its products.”

Zeon added that its accumulated electrode binder technology – which includes elastomer binders – will be combined with Coreshell’s technology to generate value-enhancing synergies.