Impact Minerals (ASX:IPT) Alluminous completes 1st C4V development milestone
Impact Minerals has reported that its 50% owned associated company, Alluminous Pty Ltd, has completed the 1st major technical milestone in its joint development program with New York based battery technology company Charge CCCV LLC (C4V).
The milestone completes the particle engineering phase, with Alluminous' High Purity Alumina (HPA) processed using C4V's proprietary dry particle engineering technology to produce material suitable for advanced lithium ion battery separator coatings.
Highlights
Alluminous completed the 1st technical milestone under its collaboration with C4V.
Independent test work confirmed the engineered HPA retained its purity while achieving the particle size distribution and morphology required for separator coating applications.
Stable, sodium free, water based slurries suitable for coating battery separator materials were successfully prepared.
The project will now progress to battery architecture development, separator coating optimisation and electrochemical testing, alongside continued commercial engagement with C4V.
Completion of the particle engineering program marks the 1st major technical gateway within C4V's broader qualification program.
Independent test work confirmed that the engineered material retained its purity throughout the particle engineering process and achieved the particle size distribution and morphology required for separator coating applications.
The announcement also states that stable, sodium free, water based slurries suitable for coating battery separator materials were successfully prepared.
The company says this represents an important step towards commercial battery qualification.
The announcement states that particle engineering is a critical step in developing battery grade HPA because battery separator coatings require tightly controlled particle size, morphology and dispersion, in addition to chemical purity, to ensure consistent coating quality and electrochemical performance.
It also states that the program demonstrated Alluminous' HPA can be formulated into stable, water based separator coating slurries without introducing sodium contaminants, and that XRD analysis by C4V confirmed the material is of the alpha crystal form.
The project will now progress to battery architecture development, separator coating optimisation and electrochemical testing, with engineered Alluminous material incorporated into full battery cells for performance evaluation.
Additional Alluminous material is being prepared for this next stage of work, which is designed to validate Alluminous' HPA performance in advanced lithium ion battery systems and support future commercial qualification for battery manufacturers in North America.
Impact Minerals Managing Director Dr Mike Jones said,
"The program is now moving into battery architecture development and electrochemical validation, bringing us significantly closer to potential commercial qualification for advanced battery applications."
The collaboration agreement also includes assistance with commercial opportunities as the project advances through battery validation.
C4V will continue to work with Alluminous as its technical adviser throughout the qualification process with potential customers.
The company states that the C4V test program was designed to closely align with the qualification processes used in the lithium battery supply chain, providing a solid foundation for customer engagement.
The next phase of the program will focus on optimisation of separator coating formulations, manufacture of coated separator materials, electrochemical evaluation within lithium ion battery cells, performance benchmarking against commercial separator materials, and continued commercial engagement with C4V and potential downstream partners.
These activities are expected to provide the technical basis for future customer qualification and commercial supply discussions.