University of Queensland's AIBN collaborates with GMG to advance Graphene Aluminium-ion battery tech

The University of Queensland's Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (AIBN) is collaborating with Graphene Manufacturing Group (GMG) to advance the commercialization of innovative Graphene Aluminium-ion battery technology. This project, backed by a grant from the federal government's Economic Accelerator Seed Grant program, will be fast-tracked through a partnership involving AIBN's material chemist, Dr Xiaodan Huang, and GMG's generous in-kind contribution.

Dr Huang said, “The University of Queensland (UQ) will supply the material engineering technology. GMG has a battery fabrication facility, so we can further develop the Graphene Aluminium-Ion Battery Technology. A key feature of this battery technology is the faster recharging rate and longer life.”

Dr Huang added, "GMG's Graphene Aluminium-Ion battery technology could be scaled for mining equipment or grid storage. The increase in collaboration follows UQ's patented processing technique for creating holes in graphene, allowing improved ion storage capacity."

The partnership's goal is to expedite the introduction of the technology to the market, taking advantage of the projected value of the global battery market, which is expected to exceed $450 billion by 2030.

"With the demand for batteries increasing, this locally developed technology has the potential to make a positive global impact", Dr Huang said.

GMG has successfully developed the initial prototype pouch cells for the G+AI Battery, featuring a storage capacity exceeding 500 milliampere-hours (mAh) and a nominal voltage of approximately 2 volts.

Dr Huang concluded by saying, “This is a significant development as it shows the company has matured the battery electro-chemistry and assembly techniques of producing pouch cells with over 10 layers of graphene-coated cathode and aluminium foil anode.”