Related article: Sparc Hydrogen progresses pilot plant development

The provisional patent application has been submitted by Sparc on the back of more than 12 months of work with the University of Adelaide investigating alternate substrates, coating methods and delivery systems within photocatalytic water-splitting (PWS) reactors.

Initial proof of concept has been achieved with an analogue photocatalyst material demonstrating the potential to improve the current methods for coating and delivery of particulate photocatalysts to achieve higher solar to hydrogen efficiencies and lower operating costs through increased durability and better handling.

The majority of this work has been completed at the University of Adelaide with funding from Sparc Technologies.

Sparc managing director Nick O’Loughlin said, “The lodgement of this provisional patent application is significant not just insofar as the technology’s potential to improve the cost and efficiency of photocatalytic water splitting systems, but also the synergies it demonstrates between Sparc’s coatings and polymers expertise being applied to uplift the value of its investment in Sparc Hydrogen.

“Results in the lab are very encouraging and given the nascent stage of the PWS industry there is strong potential to deliver a highly relevant and complementary platform technology protected by IP which is 100% owned by Sparc Technologies.”

Sparc Hydrogen’s utilisation of PWS technology is set apart from conventional approaches to produce green hydrogen. Crucially, PWS does not rely on renewable energy sources such as solar or wind farms, nor expensive electrolysers, to produce hydrogen from water. This addresses a fundamental issue in the nascent green hydrogen industry—the cost of renewable power.

Related article: New catalyst could advance green hydrogen production

Sparc Hydrogen’s pioneering technology employs a photocatalyst material and sunlight to produce ‘ultra-green’ hydrogen directly from water. Hydrogen produced from PWS can serve as a clean fuel or feedstock to decarbonise hard-to-abate industries.

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Sicona CEO and co-founder Christiaan Jordaan said the company had purchased a number of international patents and patent families developed by some of the world’s largest advanced materials companies. He said these patents would cement Sicona as a “globally significant battery materials champion”.

Related article: Sicona raises $22m in Series A funding for US power move

In collaboration with fellow Australian battery technology company Gelion, Sicona purchased the patents which have been under development and production by US-listed, $90 billion company, 3M, and the London-listed £9.2 billion company, Johnson Matthey, since 2005.

Gelion acquired the lithium sulphur patents owned by Johnson Matthey, and Sicona secured 73 patents and 11 patent families relating to silicon-alloy anode materials, electrode design, pre-lithiation and associated intellectual property.

The original technology was developed at Dalhousie University by some of world’s foremost lithium-ion battery pioneers.

“It’s a major coup for Sicona to acquire this technology,” Jordaan said.

“For an Australian battery materials company to acquire what is considered some of the most advanced silicon anode materials technology is quite remarkable really.”

Jordaan said the technology was a “strategic investment” and would be complementary to the current silicon carbon products produced by Sicona.

“Tens of millions of dollars has been invested into this technology and the testing of these materials,” he said.

“This is silicon metal-based technology, which is the core of what we do at Sicona. We are cementing ourselves as the global leaders in silicon metal-based anode technology.”

“The silicon-alloy material is manufactured from the same raw materials we already use and is highly synergistic to us as an additional product in our product portfolio. Our team will now do further work on how to best utilise it.”

3M started work on the silicon anode technology in 2005 at Dalhousie University under the guidance of Professor Dahn and Professor Mark Obrovac.

In 2012, 3M announced a further investment in silicon anode materials in the form of a US$4.6million (matched) grant from the US Department of Energy.

In January 2017, 3M sold its NMC cathode technology to Umicore to focus on silicon anodes but in 2019 completed an exit from the battery materials sector through the sale of its silicon anode tech to Johnson Matthey.

In November 2021, Johnson Matthey announced it would be exiting its battery materials business.

“We are the beneficiaries of two major global companies electing to exit the battery materials industry at exactly the wrong time,” Jordaan said.

“It’s a further step in our mission to become a globally significant battery materials champion.

Related article: Gelion acquires patents to build “world’s best battery”

“An Australian company now holds the keys to the castle on cost-effective, scalable silicon anode technologies.”

Recently, Sicona Battery Technology announced it had raised $22 million in Series A funding which will be used to further the company’s development plans both in Australia and the United States.

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