Australian innovator Altech Chemicals Ltd. said this week that it has lodged a patent with the Australian government for its unique process for alumina-containing coating.
The firm said it entered the verification phase of its method for coating graphite particles with alumina last fall. The method Altech tested was a process for applying uniform, nanometer-scale layers of alumina on graphite anode particles.
Altech says the value of such a process is in the lithium-ion battery market, where the coating helps to reduce lithium-ion loss as the battery charges and discharges, which extends the useful life of the battery.
The firm has also completed a successful opening round of testing of the coatings on lithium-ion batteries. Though it did not elaborate, Altech said the testing showed “positive and encouraging” results for the anode-coating process.
Altech Chemicals is based in Subiaco, Western Australia and is attempting to implement a marketable process for delivering 99.99% (4N) HPA using conventional equipment at a lower production cost than methods currently available. It plans to construct a 4,500 metric ton per annum HPA plant at Tanjung Langsat Industrial Complex, Johor, Malaysia that will use kaolin clay from a company-owned mine in Meckering, Western Australia. The firm is fast-tracking HPA production due to an agreement with Mitsubishi for 100% of its proposed HPA production for ten years.