Knoxville, TN – SkyNano, a leader in sustainable materials innovation, is proud to announce that it has been awarded a $1.25 million contract from the United States Air Force. The 21-month project, in collaboration with American Energy Technologies Company (AETC) and Eonix Energy Company, aims to develop technologies that will establish a domestic, sustainable, and low-cost supply chain for battery-grade graphite.
As part of this effort, SkyNano will apply its core CO2-to-CNT (carbon dioxide to carbon nanotube) process to create graphitizable carbon structures. AETC will convert these structures into battery-grade graphite, essential for lithium-ion batteries in electronics and electric vehicles. The U.S. currently relies heavily on foreign sources to produce and supply this material. Thus, this project represents a significant leap toward securing a domestic supply chain for graphite.
US Domestic Supply Chain
This award aligns with recent government efforts to strengthen domestic supply chains for critical minerals. White House Executive Orders focused on ensuring the United States’ economic and national security recently highlighted this domestic goal. With the support of this contract, SkyNano and its partners will play a crucial role in fostering domestic production and innovation in the energy storage sector, while promoting sustainability by utilizing carbon emissions as a raw material input during the production of highly valuable solid carbon structures such as graphite.
“We are excited to partner with AETC and Eonix to develop sustainable technologies that address both environmental and supply chain challenges and helps to ensure national security through onshoring production of critical materials,” said Anna Douglas, CEO of SkyNano. “This contract will enable us to further tailor our flagship CO2-to-CNT process to meet the needs of the energy storage industry, helping to secure a domestic supply of battery-grade graphite, which is essential for a range of industries, including defense and clean energy. Furthermore, we’re very eager to partner with AETC and Eonix, as SkyNano has executed multiple highly productive projects with each of these partners, and we look forward to continuing this fruitful innovation.”
Project Collaboration and Goals
• SkyNano will modify its CO2 conversion process to produce graphitizable carbon structures.
• American Energy Technologies Company will process these structures into battery-grade graphite. This enhanced material is vital to the production of lithium-ion batteries.
• Eonix Energy Company will test the graphite in lithium-ion batteries. Specifically, they will ensure that the graphite produced meets the highest standards for use in next-generation batteries.
This initiative supports the U.S. government’s broader strategy to reduce reliance on foreign suppliers and promote energy independence. This partnership will do just this, while also driving innovation in clean energy technologies. Consequently, by leveraging carbon emissions and turning them into valuable materials, this project embodies the principles of sustainability and circular economy.
For more information on this project, or to learn about SkyNano’s other initiatives, please visit https://www.skynano.co
Media Contact:
Name: Sharon Dwyer
Phone: 843.271.1595
Email: info@skynano.co
Website: https://www.skynano.co
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/skynano/
About SkyNano
SkyNano is a science-based technology company focused on commercializing a free-market solution to carbon pollution. It specifically develops a novel electrochemical manufacturing technology for the capture and conversion of CO2 from various sources (atmospheric, concentrated, flue gas) into valuable carbon-based materials including SkyNano’s flagship product – carbon nanotubes. Peer-reviewed scientific papers feature SkyNano’s technology, which also earned a 2020 R&D 100 Award and a 2021 TechConnect Innovation Award. Furthermore, our CEO and Co-Founder Dr. Anna Douglas was recognized with a Forbes 30 Under 30 award in 2019. In fact, both SkyNano founders are Forbes 30 Under 30 innovators, as Prof. Cary Pint was awarded the recognition in the inaugural year of the awards. To learn, visit: https://www.skynano.co
About American Energy Technologies Company (AETC)
AETC is a leading provider of materials solutions for energy storage systems. They specialize in graphite processing and manufacturing for the global battery industry.
About Eonix Energy
Eonix Energy develops innovative materials for energy storage devices. These include advanced electrolytes and battery components to improve the performance and longevity of energy storage technologies.
