Battery supplies startup Sicona Battery Applied sciences has raised AU$22 million in a Sequence A for its plans in Australia and the US.

The spherical was led by India’s Himadri Speciality Chemical Ltd, Australian VC Artesian, and Electrification & Decarbonization AIE LP, a fund managed by Waratah Capital, alongside backers together with Riverstone Ventures, Chaos Ventures, Investible Local weather Tech Fund LP and Membership Investible via its Local weather Tech fund.

Entrepreneur Christiaan Jordaan and supplies scientist Andrew Minett based Sicona in 2019, getting down to develop next-generation battery expertise utilized in
the anodes (destructive electrodes) of lithium-ion batteries used for electrical autos and renewables storage.

They’re ben commercialising silicon-graphite composite expertise and supplies researchers on the College of Wollongong’s Australian Institute for Modern Supplies for greater than a decade. The startup beforehand raised $3.7 million in a pre-Sequence A in August 2021, led by Riverstone and Artesian.

Sicona’s present technology silicon-composite anode expertise presents 50-100% larger capability than typical graphite anodes.

“Sicona’s core product is an revolutionary silicon metallic primarily based silicon-composite battery anode expertise enabling greater than 50% enhance in power density of present Li-ion batteries,”  Jordaan, Sicona’s CEO, stated.

“Through the use of silicon metallic (and never costly, provide chain constrained and harmful silane gasoline like our opponents) Sicona can provide low-cost silicon anode supplies at massive automotive scale regionally in main markets.”

The Wollongong-based startup is now trying to construct a silicon-carbon manufacturing plant within the south japanese United States to serve that market.

Jordaan stated the recent capital will present important development capability within the US over the following yr.

“Welcoming one of many main international speciality chemical corporations as a strategic investor in our Sequence A spherical permits us to speed up our mission of turning into a significant producer of cost-effective silicon composite anode supplies,” he stated.

“Our silicon metal-based expertise decouples us from the foremost bottlenecks and price implications of silane gas-based applied sciences and offers our clients the arrogance that we are able to ship a silicon-carbon anode materials at a capital depth and $/kg worth which is possible for mass-automotive market adoption.”