Calix’s BATMn reactor, completed on time and under budget, was officially opened in November 2019 by Senator David Van. In attendance were local MP Steve McGhie, local Mayor David Edwards, members of AusIndustry and our R&D consortium partners, and of course a very proud Calix team.
Calix develops its technology via a global network of research and development collaborations, including governments, research institutes and universities, some of the world’s largest companies, and a growing customer base and distributor network for its commercialised products and processes.
How will Deakin University be using materials produced by Calix’s BATMn Reactor?
“The materials that come out of the BATMn reactor are really exciting for us. So these are new electrode materials and typically in a battery when you start to play around with the choice of electrode materials or the choice of electrolyte materials, this drastically alters the properties of the battery’s performance. So here we have a new type of material that Calix is producing in the BATMn reactor. The nano structured properties of this electrode material mean that when it is paired with some of our advanced electrolytes that we produce, we hope to achieve some performance in our devices that are superior to the previous generations.” Said Dr Robert Kerr Research Fellow – Electromaterials Deakin University.
How different are the materials produced by BATMn Reactor and how can they help Deakin University?
“Current battery materials have to be very pure so they have to be “sort of the best”, they have to be intricately categorised and from the best value material. What is unique with this reactor is that we can almost get to that same stage, but very quickly, so this technology is able to help us really produce a lot of materials, which is important in production stage and also important in research as well.” Said Dr Timothy Khoo Center Manager ITTC Deakin University.
How does battery research serve our race for a more sustainable world?
“For sustainable energy, one of the key things is the requirement to generate from renewable sources, which are widely distributed and located, and then the need to transmit that energy efficiently. Part of that could be done by a distribution network, but often we also need electricity when the sun is not shining or the wind not blowing, so this intermittent problem is solved by energy storage using batteries.” Said Dr Patrick Howlett Professor – Research Deakin University.
What’s the involvement of Boron Molecular in the collaboration?
“The opportunity for the CRC-P (Co-operative Research Centre Project) is to develop a technology package that enables us to manufacture batteries here in Australia. So Calix will be providing the electrodes, `and Boron Molecular will be providing the electrolytes and Deakin University will be assembling those components and then testing different configurations for efficiencies.” Said Dr Olivier Hutt Director of Business Development Boron Molecular.
What is the next step for Calix?
“The next stage is to really characterise how good the Calix cathode is and how it can optimise the Calix technology and post-processing techniques to really improve the performance of the cathode and also the anode. It’s a very, very exciting project to be involved in, and I think there’s real potential in applying Calix technology for the production of high performance advanced battery catalyst materials.” Said Matt Boot-Handford R&D Manager Batteries and Catalyst Calix Limited.
BATMn Partners
Calix BATMn Reactor – a game-changer for advanced battery research.
Back to the opening ceremony of the BATMn reactor, designed to make a range of nano-active materials for advanced batteries, where the need for precision control of the process conditions is critical for electrochemical performance.
BATMn will be a key provider of next-generation electrode materials for the recently announced CRC-P for Advanced Hybrid Batteries which Calix leads in collaboration the Institute for Frontier Materials and BAT-TRI Hub at Deakin University and specialist chemicals manufacturer Boron Molecular Ltd Pty.
