Battery material technology company Ionic Mineral Technologies has emerged from stealth mode to debut its halloysite-derived nano-silicon, Ionisil, which is meant to be used as a drop-in replacement for graphite in lithium-based batteries.

Ionic MT is a vertically-integrated producer of nano-silicon, which it says can enable significantly longer range and faster charging for EVs. The company controls what it calls the world’s largest deposit of high-purity halloysite, a feedstock that it plans to use to manufacture nano-silicon at scale.

Ionic MT’s pilot plant includes a full battery testing lab, facilities for wet beneficiation of halloysite, and a pilot-scale silicon production furnace to convert halloysite into nano-silicon.

“Halloysite-derived nano-silicon is a game-changer for the industry,” said Andre Zeitoun, founder and CEO at Ionic. “We are the first to leverage this vast natural resource for the electric vehicle supply chain. With our approach, scalability is our advantage.”

Source: Ionic Mineral Technologies