Next-Gen Tunable Anode Active Nanomaterials for Batteries

Unprecedented demand for portable energy solutions and with supply chain vulnerabilities in sourcing critical battery materials have driven the need for alternative, high-performance battery technologies. Conventional anode materials, such as graphite, have limitations in energy density, safety charge/discharge rates, and stability. Additionally, graphite’s supply chain is highly concentrated, as more than 70% of graphite is sourced in China, causing price volatility and supply chain vulnerability. To address these challenges, the Toronto Smart Materials & Structures (TSMART) team at the University of Toronto has developed new techniques advanced nanomaterials for next-generation metal-ion battery electrodes.

This invention introduces Hybrid Chemically and Structurally Modified Anode Electrodes: Novel nanostructured, chemically and structurally modified composites integrating multidimensional materials with synergetic electrochemical properties enhancement to improve conductivity, charge retention, and cycling stability. 

Features

• Structurally Modifying Carbon Based Materials: Partial unzipping of CNTs creates active sites for Li-ion storage, enhancing charge transport and electrode kinetics.
• Hybridization Techniques: The combination of multidimensional materials with different electrochemical properties, such as MXene and graphene oxide nanoribbons (GONR), provides synergistic performance improvement and over comes overcomes challenges associated with neat structures.
• Optimized Surface Chemistry: Thermal annealing and chemical reductions change the terminal groups, modifying surface chemistry to optimize ion transfer and lithiation/delithiation processes. These methods are energy efficient being conducted at temperatures as low as 500 oC much lower than typical graphitization (3000 oC).
• Adaptability to different Carbon-Based Materials: The chemical and structural modification techniques, along with the hybridization method, enable the transformation of non-battery-grade carbon materials, including waste and CO₂-derived carbon, into high-performance battery electrode materials. These processes are more sustainable and open new avenues for carbon producers to enter the battery market.

Benefits

• Supply Chain Resilience: Utilizing locally sourced alternatives to graphite reduces dependence on foreign supply chains, addressing geopolitical risks and price volatility. Scalable production allows for domestic material sourcing, reducing dependency on Chinese graphite.
• Market Expansion: Establishing a new platform to convert non-battery-grade, waste-derived, or CO₂-emitted carbon materials—as well as locally mined graphite—into high-performance battery anode materials.
• Environmental: Lowering the carbon footprint and environmental harm associated with conventional graphite purification techniques.
• Economic: Cost analysis supports long-term viability, with projected costs lower than current chemistries required for manufacturing and replacing natural or synthetic graphite batteries.
• Higher Energy Density & Cycle Stability: outperforms graphite and traditional MWCNT electrodes, delivering 40–80% higher capacity and maintaining >300 mAh/g at 0.5C.
• Enhanced Electrochemical Performance: The engineered anode exhibits a 250% improvement in performance over conventional graphite electrodes at standard operating currents (0.2C–0.5C).
• Faster Charge/Discharge Rates: Engineered nanostructures improve ion transport and cycling stability, making the material suitable for high-power applications.

Applications

This innovation has broad applications for carbon material producers, electronics recycling companies, and both small-to-medium electronics and large-scale end users:

• Local Graphite Companies: These companies can benefit from the chemical and structural modification and hybridization techniques developed in this project to produce battery-grade graphite with significantly lower environmental impact.
• Recycled and Waste Carbon Materials: Many industries, particularly electronics, generate large volumes of waste carbon materials that can be recovered, recycled, and transformed into valuable battery-grade materials. In addition, companies that convert CO₂ emissions into carbon materials, producers of flash Joule-heated graphene, and those transforming methane into carbon-based materials can all apply this method to upgrade recycled or non-battery-grade carbon into functional anode materials.
• Battery Manufacturers: Manufacturers can adopt not only the transformation technique but also directly integrate the developed nanostructured anode materials as high-performance alternatives to conventional graphite anodes.
• Consumer Electronics: Advanced anodes enable higher capacity and extended battery life for mobile devices, wearables, and other portable electronics.
• Large-Scale End Users (EV, Industrial, Aerospace): Enhanced energy density and cycle stability support long-lasting, high-performance EV batteries. High thermal resistance and improved charge retention make these materials suitable for extreme environments. Optimized anodes improve safety, performance, and sustainability across these sectors.
• Renewable Energy Storage: Optimized materials improve efficiency and lifespan for grid-scale energy storage.

Status

• 2 patent applications filed May 2025 covering MXene-GnR hybrid anode fabrication and PEEK-based separator technology.
• Lab-scale validation completed, progressing toward pilot-scale testing, scaling up production, optimizing full-cell configurations, and conducting industry pilots.
• Startup being formed.
• Seeking Partnerships:
  
  • Materials Sourcing: Collaboration with carbon suppliers, recycled carbon companies,metal refineries, and producers to ensure a sustainable raw material supply.
  • Manufacturing & Scale-Up: Engagement with industry partners specializing in electrode coating and large-scale battery integration.
  • Piloting: Partnerships with research institutions and technology centers for full-cell validation in pouch and prismatic formats.
  • Recycling: Developing strategies for reusing MWCNTs and other key materials to improve sustainability and address end-of-life disposal challenges.