Wildcat Discovery, a battery research company based in San Diego, has been granted a patent for the use of sulfolane-based electrolytes designed to improve the performance of Li-ion batteries containing silicon anodes.

In 2013, the company was awarded a grant by the DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy to develop new non-carbonate-based electrolytes for silicon anodes.

Wildcat prepared and evaluated over 4,000 unique electrolyte formulations during a year-long quest to find a non-carbonate electrolyte formulation that outperforms FEC-based electrolytes when cycled in full cells with a silicon anode.

“We’re thankful to be included in this promising effort and appreciate the DOE’s confidence in our unique high-throughput approach,” Wildcat CEO Mark Gresser said. “We look forward to our next DOE grant opportunity to accelerate the discovery of better battery materials.”

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Source: Wildcat Discovery Technologies