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Collaboration Yields New High-Performance Graphene Dispersions

March 5, 2025

Somerset, NJ – NEI Corporation is pleased to announce the launch of a new line of advanced graphene dispersions developed in collaboration with HydroGraph Clean Power Inc. These innovative dispersions can be seamlessly integrated into existing electrode slurries, replacing or supplementing traditional conducting carbons. When mixed with active materials and binder, these conductive additives enable the creation of flexible electrodes, expanding design possibilities for high-performance cells.

Why is this unique?

The new FGA-1 dispersions utilize HydroGraph’s pristine Fractal GrapheneTM, produced through a proprietary detonation synthesis process. This unique graphene exhibits 100% sp2 bonding and a turbostratic arrangement with an average of six graphene layers per particle. This nanoscale structure contributes to exceptional conductivity and facilitates improved rate capability and energy density, providing a significant advantage for diverse battery applications.

“One key advantage of these conductive additives is their lower percolation threshold. Due to its 2D geometry, graphene facilitates improved interconnectivity between active material particles and the conductive network within the electrode compared to spherical carbon black particles,” said Dr. Ranjith Divigalpitiya, CSO of Hydrograph.

SEM of Hydrograph graphene at 10k and 50k magnification

New Product Line: Carbon-Based Conductive Additives

The new line of advanced conductive additives, available in both NMP-based and water-based dispersions, expands NEI Corporation’s comprehensive portfolio of high-performance battery materials. This strategic addition complements NEI’s existing offerings of cathode, anode, and electrolyte materials for both lithium-ion and sodium-ion batteries, enabling the company to provide customers with even more complete and integrated solutions.

“Our collaboration with Hydrograph and the launch of these graphene dispersions demonstrates NEI’s commitment to innovation and supporting battery researchers,” said Dr. Ganesh Skandan, CEO of NEI Corporation.


Product Preview

NANOMYTE® FGA-1AD

FGA-1AD is a ready-to-use aqueous graphene dispersion designed to replace or supplement traditional conducting carbons in electrode slurries to enhance performance.

  • Description: 7 wt.% Graphene dispersion in Water
  • Density (20 °C): 1.04 g/cc
  • Viscosity (20 °C): 150 cP (40 s-1)

Available Quantities: 1L and 4L (request quote)

Technical Links: Specification Sheet (pdf) | Safety Data Sheet (pdf)

NANOMYTE® FGA-1ND

FGA-1ND is a ready-to-use graphene dispersion in NMP designed to replace or supplement traditional conducting carbons in electrode slurries to enhance performance.

  • Description: 7 wt.% Graphene dispersion in NMP (N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone)
  • Density (20 °C): 1.07 g/cc
  • Viscosity (20 °C): 1200 cP (40 s-1)

Available Quantities: 200mL, 500mL, 1L, and 4L (request quote)

Technical Links: Specification Sheet (pdf) | Safety Data Sheet (pdf)

Applications

Some example applications for these graphene dispersions include anode and cathode conductive additives in Li-ion batteries, replacement conductive additive for CNT, conductive additive for Si anode slurries, replacement conductive additives for carbon black, replacement active material for activated carbon in super capacitor electrode, conductive additive for supercapacitor electrode.

Request a quote today!


About NEI Corporation

For over 27 years, NEI Corporation has provided advanced material solutions to customers worldwide. NEI excels in designing, developing, and producing application-specific materials. The company offers a comprehensive range of solutions, including cathode, anode, and electrolyte materials for lithium-ion and sodium-ion batteries, as well as extensive in-house materials development, characterization, and testing services. NEI’s materials science expertise facilitates close partnerships and seamless product integration.

For company updates, follow NEI Corporation on LinkedIn and X.

About Hydrograph Clean Power Inc.

HydroGraph Clean Power Inc is a leading producer of pristine graphene using an “explosion synthesis” process, which allows for exceptional purity, low energy use and identical batches. The quality, performance and consistency of HydroGraph’s graphene follows the Graphene Council’s Verified Graphene Producer® standards, of which very few graphene producers are able to meet.  For more information or to learn about the HydroGraph story, visit: https://hydrograph.com/

For company updates, please follow HydroGraph on LinkedIn and X.

Download Press Release (pdf) ↓

Price Increases will go into effect on January 1, 2025

December 1, 2024

Dear Valued Customers,

After careful consideration and due to significant increases in raw material costs and operational expenses, we’ve made the difficult decision to implement a price adjustment of up to 6% across many of our products, effective January 1st, 2025.

We understand that this adjustment may impact your own operations. Please be assured that we are working diligently to minimize the impact while maintaining the high quality of our products. It’s important to note that this is also the first price increase in over three years.

If you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us.

We thank you for your continued business and understanding.

Sincerely,
NEI Corporation

To get the latest news and product updates from NEI Corporation, join our mailing list. Emails are sent only a few times a month (at most).

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NEI Introduces New Cutting-edge Anode Powder: TNO

August 27, 2024

Somerset, New Jersey (USA) – In response to growing industry demand, NEI Corporation is proud to introduce its new Titanium Niobium Oxide (TiNb2O7 or “TNO”) powder: NANOMYTE® BE-600. This groundbreaking anode material offers significant potential to revolutionize battery technology. TNO’s high theoretical capacity and promising performance metrics, including increased energy density, faster charging rates, and improved cycle life, position it as a leading candidate for next-generation battery applications.

Product Specifications:

  • Formula: TiNb2O7
  • Morphology: Polycrystalline
  • Specific Surface Area: ~ 1.37 m2/g
  • Particle Size (D50): ~ 3.81 μm
  • Typical First Discharge Capacity: 255 mAh/g

Technical Links:
Download Specification Sheet (pdf) | Download Safety Data Sheet (pdf)

Available Quantities:
NANOMYTE® BE-600 is available in quantities of 100g, 250g, 500g, 1kg, and 5kg. Request a quote today!

Custom Solutions

As a world leading developer and manufacturer of commercial and specialty materials for Lithium-ion and Sodium-ion batteries, NEI Corporation specializes in custom sythesizing hard to obtain compositions. We employ a scalable and economical solid-state synthesis process to produce battery materials with precise control over composition and particle structure. NEI works diligently with both battery developers and manufacturers to produce cathode, anode, and solid electrolyte materials for that are ideally suited for their application.


About NEI Corporation:

Founded in 1997, NEI develops, manufactures, and sells advanced specialty materials for a broad range of industrial customers around the world. The company’s core competencies are in designing, developing, and producing products that meet the specific application needs of its customers. NEI’s products, which are sold under the registered trademark NANOMYTE®, are backed by a suite of issued and pending patents. NEI’s commercial products include: Lithium-ion Battery MaterialsNa-ion Battery MaterialsFunctional & Protective Coatings, and Specialty Nanoparticle-based products.

Beyond material production, NEI is a solutions provider. NEI is fully committed to customer success by helping to develop and implement solutions that drive their business forward through a variety of in-house materials development, characterization, and testing services. Our deep understanding of materials science allows us to collaborate closely with customers, ensuring seamless integration of our products into their applications.

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NEI Announces New In-house SEM Services

NEI Invests in Cutting-Edge Technology with New SEM

Somerset, New Jersey (USA) – NEI is thrilled to celebrate a significant upgrade to our characterization capabilities: the acquisition of a high-resolution Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM)! This powerful microscope is equipped with both a Backscattered Electron Detector (BSD) and a Secondary Electron Detector (SED) to readily identify different phases present in a sample. It can obtain images up to 100,000 times magnification and resolution smaller than 10 nm, to provide crisp and high-resolution images, allowing you to see your materials in unprecedented detail. With our new in-house SEM capabilities, NEI can now accommodate SEM requests more efficiently to deliver faster, cost-effective results. Our research team can analyze your materials and discuss findings with you directly, providing seamless integration for your R&D projects with us.

Industry Benefits of High-Resolution Imaging

By visualizing a material’s microstructure at the nanoscale, researchers and engineers can gain invaluable insights in order to create superior products with enhanced performance, efficiency, and reliability.

Battery Industry

  • Understand Degradation Mechanisms: Identify factors leading to capacity fade, power loss, and safety hazards.
  • Optimize Material Design: Tailor particle size, morphology, and composition for enhanced performance.
  • Evaluate Manufacturing Processes: Assess the impact of processing techniques on material microstructure.
  • Predict Battery Lifespan: Correlate microstructure with battery cycle life and performance.
  • Improve Quality Control: Detect defects and inconsistencies in battery materials.
  • Accelerate Development: Gain insights to develop advanced battery technologies.

Coatings Industry

  • Optimize Coating Performance: Understand how factors like particle size, distribution, and adhesion impact durability and functionality.
  • Accelerate Development: Visualize the effects of different coating formulations and processing conditions to refine product development.
  • Improve Quality Control: Detect defects, contaminants, and inconsistencies in the coating, ensuring product reliability.
  • Analyze Failure Modes: Identify the root cause of coating failures through detailed examination of the coating’s microstructure.
  • Develop Innovative Coatings: Explore new coating materials and technologies by visualizing their behavior at the nanoscale.

NEI’s Comprehensive Approach

Over the past 27 years, NEI has cultivated a team of materials scientists and engineers who work with specialty materials every single day. This means you can rely on our wealth of knowledge regarding lithium-ion and sodium-ion battery technology, protective surface coatings, nanomaterials, polymers, ceramics, composites, and more. With our comprehensive approach, NEI’s team of experts can provide in-depth analysis and interpretation of all SEM data, to help you to make informed decisions and propel your materials development process forward.

Learn more about our SEM services and request a free consultation to speak with one of our materials experts about your specific needs and how we can help you accomplish them.


About NEI Corporation:

Founded in 1997, NEI develops, manufactures, and sells advanced specialty materials for a broad range of industrial customers around the world. The company’s core competencies are in designing, developing, and producing products that meet the specific application needs of its customers. NEI’s products, which are sold under the registered trademark NANOMYTE®, are backed by a suite of issued and pending patents. NEI’s products include:  Lithium-ion Battery MaterialsNa-ion Battery MaterialsFunctional & Protective Coatings, and Specialty Nanoparticle-based products.

NEI is a solutions provider, working closely with customers to produce and implement materials for their applications through a variety of in-house materials development, characterization, and testing services.

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NEI Company Updates – Summer 2023

What’s New at NEI Corporation

June 21, 2023

We’re Expanding!

Since 2005, NEI Corporation has operated a 10,000 square foot, state-of-the-art materials manufacturing and testing facility in Somerset, New Jersey. This spring, NEI began expanding its facilities with an additional 9,200 square feet of space. The add-on facility will allow the company to install new equipment in order deliver larger quantities of materials to better serve its customers.


New Product: LMFP Electrode Sheets


NANOMYTE® BE-80E

NEI is excited to introduce Lithium Manganese Iron Phosphate (LiMnxFe(1-x)PO4) to its line of electrode sheets for Lithium-ion batteries. NANOMYTE® BE-80E is a cast electrode tape of LMFP, which is a new, higher nominal voltage variation of LFP.

Product PageView Spec Sheet


NEI Is Hiring – Join our Team!

NEI Corporation develops, manufactures, and supplies Specialty Materials for diverse industrial applications. NEI employs a multi-disciplinary group of motivated scientists and engineers and is looking for qualified individuals to join our team.


Have a Question?

Try our Frequently Asked Questions page, or you can contact us directly:

Phone: Call us at +1 (732) 868-3141 (Monday – Friday, 8:30 am to 5:30 pm ET)

Email: Send us a message and someone will be in touch with you soon.

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The Time Is Right to Focus on Developing New Battery Material Chemistries

The Time Is Right to Focus on Developing New Battery Material Chemistries

Key Points:

  • Global push to establish a battery manufacturing infrastructure will provide avenues to implement new Advanced Materials
  • New battery material chemistries, along with innovative manufacturing methods, can lead to low-cost EV batteries with the desired performance and safety features
  • The involvement of stakeholders across the entire value chain, early in the materials development process, can reduce time to market

A Lithium-ion Battery is Only as Good as the Materials in it

In the days when Lithium-ion batteries constituted a fledgling industry, which goes back to the early 1990s, there was just one commercialized cathode chemistry, lithium cobalt oxide (LCO). The cathode is arguably the most important constituent of a battery since all the energy (measured in Wh per kilogram) comes from the cathode. All the other major components – anode, separator, electrolyte, and binder – are enablers and do not contribute to the capacity of the cell. A few years after LCO had been in commercial use, Lithium Nickel Cobalt Aluminum Oxide (NCA) came along. NCA had a structure that was similar in many ways to LCO; the composition allowed NCA to have a higher capacity than LCO on a weight basis. The current state-of-the-art, high-capacity cathode material has manganese in it, in addition to nickel and cobalt (NMC), and there are different grades of NMC, with varying amounts of nickel. It is worth noting that even after thirty years of development, the cathode material structure is not all that different from the original LCO. Over time, we have kept tweaking the cathode chemistry, making incremental improvements. The one exception is Lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP), which has an entirely different crystal structure compared to NMC. After the initial excitement in the late 1990s, and an attempt by companies to commercialize the phosphate chemistry, it was mostly left to languish for a decade until segments of the industry decided to adopt LFP; not for its capacity, but for having the benefit of fewer Electric Vehicle (EV) fires. Additionally, manufacturers and automotive OEMs benefited from the expiration of the original LFP patent.

The anode of a lithium-ion battery has traditionally received lesser attention than the cathode for a few reasons: the capacity of a battery comes from the cathode, and the anode is simply the host to receive the lithium ions coming from the cathode. Graphite, which is the host, is much less expensive than any cathode material and has nearly two times the capacity of the cathode, pound for pound. But graphite weighs less (i.e., it occupies a relatively larger volume). The advent of silicon as an anode has helped in this regard, and these days small amounts of silicon are added to graphite. Still, the state-of-the-art anode is largely comprised of graphite, the same material that was used in the first commercial lithium-ion battery. For sure there have been innovations in processing graphitic materials and enhancements in the capacity utilization, but there has been no fundamental change.

The larger point here is that we have kept grinding away at the same battery chemistry for over three decades now. We never had a lithium battery industry in most parts of the world except Japan, Korea, and later China, which made it difficult to implement new battery material inventions, of which there have been many. Commercial, high-volume manufacturers of both materials and batteries were invariably in Asia, which created a chasm between materials developers and the adopters. But now that is changing, and it is changing rapidly. Every other week there is a new announcement for yet another factory to produce lithium-ion batteries. These factories are presently slated to utilize well proven cathode and anode materials but should provide avenues for adopting new materials down the road.

There is Ample Room for New Battery Material Chemistries in Rechargeable Batteries

The driving force for continuing to advance the field are three-fold: enhance performance (translation: increase the range of an EV); safety (translation: mitigate risk of EV fires); and cost (translation: so the average consumer can afford an EV). Over the past decade, we have advanced the state of the art on all fronts, due in large part to engineering efforts but not so much because of a change in the fundamental battery chemistry.

The driving force for continuing to advance the field are three-fold:

  1. Enhance Performance (to increase the range of an EV)
  2. Safety (to mitigate the risk of EV fires)
  3. Cost (so the average consumer can afford an EV)

Over the past decade, we have advanced the state of the art on all fronts, due in large part to engineering efforts but not so much because of a change in the fundamental battery chemistry.

We have also seen a dramatic reduction in the cost of lithium batteries, at both the cell level and pack level. According to Bloomberg New Energy Forum (BNEF), cell level costs have gone down from over $500/kWh in 2013 to $120/kWh in 2022. The additional cost from packaging the cells into a pack went down by an order of magnitude in the same time period and now accounts for only 20% of the cost of the battery pack. Much of the steep reduction came from economies of scale, with a sharp uptick in both actual and anticipated demand, and companies setting up manufacturing at scale to meet the demand.

Most of the ground-breaking “new battery chemistry” work occurs in university laboratories all over the world. Coming up with and creating fundamentally new materials is perhaps the most challenging aspect of Materials Science and Engineering. Think about it for a second: it is a material that never existed in that form on this planet. The fascinating field of Materials Science and Engineering brings together engineers, physicists, chemists, and sometimes even biologists, as well as scientists with backgrounds in computation and computer simulation. And that is exactly what the Battery Industry needs – teams that create new materials.

There is an opportunity to ‘fundamentally reshape’ the landscape of the rechargeable battery industry, and for the United States it could be an engine of growth for the next couple of decades, just like what the semiconductor industry did for the US economy in the 1990s and 2000s.

Bringing Stakeholders Together Can Shorten Time to Market

At NEI Corporation, we have had the privilege and pleasure to work with many materials innovators and some of the brightest minds in the business. From providing a wide range of off-the-shelf materials that enable our customers’ R&D efforts, to producing specialty and custom materials, we are singularly focused on enabling our customers to commercialize.

Conventional wisdom says that it takes ten to fifteen years for an invention to make its way into a commercial battery. In the past, the concentration of battery manufacturing in one part of the world made the process arduous at the very least, if not impossible. But now, there is an opportunity around the world to shorten the timeframe.

The pathway described below could potentially reduce the time from ‘concept to commercialization’ and allow capital to be effectively deployed toward promising materials. With manufacturing infrastructure in place in all corners of the world, we can nurture new materials technologies where the raw materials are sourced cost effectively. There is a unique processing methodology involved; the material composition is protected by international patent applications, and the new material enables non-traditional cell architectures.

Figure demonstrating proposed pathway for developing new battery material chemistries to reduce time from ‘concept to commercialization.’

We Will Figure This Out

Materials innovation in the early stages tends to be compartmentalized, serial, and at times a random process. Taking a holistic approach early in the innovation phase (i.e., a parallel path to product development that looks at all aspects of the cell, including compatibility, manufacturability, cost, and safety) could bring the invention closer to reality more quickly.

There are a lot of restrictions to bringing new materials to market, even after a promising chemistry has been identified and proven. Reasonably priced raw materials need to be available; the material needs to be amenable to low-cost production processes, it needs to be safe to be handled in a ‘dry room’ (i.e., in the presence of air), and it should not be in the form of very small particles, as it prevents a lot of material from being packed in a small volume (think volumetric energy density kWh/L). Above all, all materials in a cell need to be compatible with each other.

The time is right for us to take on the challenge of fundamentally transforming the rechargeable battery chemistry so that it can deliver on its promise. Whether it is based on lithium, sodium, or magnesium ion rocking-chair principle, a chemical compound that is vastly different from a metal oxide cathode and graphite anode, could make the battery look very different (from the inside)! With the changing dynamics of the industry, we as industry participants have an opportunity to seize the moment.

Download Article (pdf)

About the Author:
Dr. Ganesh Skandan is the CEO of NEI Corporation and earned his Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering from Rutgers – The State University of New Jersey. Shortly after his graduate work, he co-founded NEI Corporation in 1997. In 2003, Dr. Skandan was recognized as an outstanding alumnus of the Graduate School at Rutgers University at its 50th anniversary. In 2011, Rutgers University again recognized his accomplishments with a Distinguished Alumni award for Distinction in the Physical Sciences. Dr. Skandan holds more than a dozen patents.

Contact:
400E Apgar Drive • Somerset, NJ 08873 • USA
gskandan@neicorporation.com
+1 (732) 868-3141


About NEI:
Founded in 1997, NEI develops, manufactures, and sells advanced materials for a broad range of industrial customers around the world. The company’s core competencies are in designing, developing, and producing products that meet the specific application needs of its customers. More importantly, NEI is a solutions provider, working closely with customers to produce and implement materials for their applications. NEI’s products, which are sold under the registered trademark NANOMYTE®, are backed by a suite of issued and pending patents. NEI’s products include:  Lithium-ion Battery Materials, Na-ion Battery Materials, Functional & Protective Coatings, and Specialty Nanoparticle-based products. NEI also offers associated materials characterization and testing services.

For more information, give us a call or email us.

NEI Celebrates 25 Years!

July 7, 2022

Somerset, NJ (USA) – NEI Corporation is proud to announce that today marks our 25th business anniversary!

When the company was formed 25 years ago, NEI was performing funded contract research in the then-emerging field of nanotechnology. Since those humble beginnings, NEI has transformed itself over the years into a commercial, products-based company with offerings of over 25 in-house developed coatings and 50+ different battery materials and products. NEI has also continued its R&D efforts by working closely with customers to provide & implement solutions where current technologies fall short.

So whether you’ve been with us since the beginning or you’ve become a valued customer in recent years, we wouldn’t still be here without customers like you. We are thankful for your continued business and support, and we look forward to working with you for many more years to come!

Sincerely,

The NEI Team

NEI Products

Functional & Protective Coatings

NEI’s line of Advanced Protective Coatings provide tailored functionalities not found in traditional paints, coatings, or surface treatments – such as hydrophobicity, superhydrophobicity, oleophobicity, anti-soiling, self-healing, fog resistance, self-cleaning (or easy-to-clean), scratch resistance, anti-corrosion, anti-icing, and more. NANOMYTE® coatings are versatile and can be applied to a variety of materials and surfaces, using standard coating processes. Our protective coatings are designed to be highly durable to help preserve coating functions and extend the service life of your parts. Learn More »

High Performance Materials for Li-ion & Na-ion Batteries

NEI offers a variety of cathode, anode, and electrolyte materials for use in lithium-ion and sodium-ion batteries. We specialize in producing specialty materials with compositions and particle morphologies that are not commonplace. Our ability to tailor materials results in improved battery performance for your application. Learn More »

Electrospun Mats

NEI offers electrospun mats of PAN, PVA, and PVDF-HFP fibers. Each mat is a free standing flexible sheet with microstructural features not available from a bulk material. Standard electrospun mats are 8″ x 11″ with a typical thickness of 1 mil (25 microns), however the dimensions and thickness can easily be adjusted as per the customer’s specifications. The diameter of the nanofiber can also be adjusted. Learn More »

See all of our Products »


NEI Services

Materials R&D Services

Partner with us for advanced materials development, specifically for your application. We combine our intellectual property and technical expertise to develop a material that suits your application’s needs. We create a custom materials solution to meet your requirements through a structured approach involving specified milestones. We will work with you from initial R&D all the way through large scale manufacturing. Your intellectual property rights are fully protected at all times. Learn More »

Battery R&D and Cell Testing

NEI’s battery cell preparation and characterization includes industry standard tape coating and cell level testing. The tapes are customized based on the customer’s requirements, including modifications in the composition of the tape, solids loading (80-95%), thickness of the tape, tape porosity, and the choice of current collector. Learn More »

Characterization & Analysis

NEI offers comprehensive materials characterization and analysis, specializing in the nanoscale level. Our vast experience and knowledge in nanoscale materials provides you with unique insights when it comes to analyzing your materials and achieving your goals. Services include: powder, coatings, and dispersion characterization, as well as battery and corrosion testing. Learn More »

See all of our Services »


Have a Question?

Try our Frequently Asked Questions page, or you can contact us directly:

Phone: Call us at +1 (732) 868-3141 (Monday – Friday, 8:30 am to 5:30 pm ET)

Email: Send us a message and someone will be in touch with you soon.

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NEI Expands Selection of Materials for Lithium-ion & Sodium-ion Batteries

January 13, 2022

Somerset, New Jersey (USA) – Today, NEI Corporation announced customers can now order from an expanded selection of cathode, anode, and solid electrolyte materials for both lithium-ion and sodium-ion batteries. The company, which is a leader in the development, manufacture, and supply of specialty materials, has been a go-to organization for producing and delivering custom powders and dispersions of particles in liquids and polymers, as well as electrodes cast on metal foil.

NEI offers a variety of battery materials, with a particular forte in producing specialty materials with compositions and particle morphologies that are not commonplace. In addition, NEI has expertise in producing composite particles that have a surface coating. Off-the-shelf products are sold under the tradename NANOMYTE®.

“We want our customers to easily access high quality and consistent battery materials so they can focus on their core mission,” said Dr. Ganesh Skandan, CEO of NEI Corporation. “The NEI team stands ready, willing, and able to produce and supply materials that our customers want, in any quantity needed, for them to pursue their commercialization efforts.”

Particle Size Distribution graph of Na0.44MnO2+x , which is typical of most of NEI's sodium based cathode/anode powders

Particle size distribution (PSD) of Na0.44MnO2+x , which is typical of most of NEI’s sodium based cathode/anode powders.

NEI has been routinely supplying increasing quantities of simple metal oxide compositions such as Na0.44MnO2+x and Na0.7MnO2+x with a narrow particle size distribution. The portfolio of sodium-ion compositions now includes more complex materials, such as sodium iron phosphate (NaFePO4), sodium nickel phosphate (NaNiPO4), sodium titanium phosphate (NaTi2(PO4)3), sodium chromium oxide (NaCrO2), and others. The average aggregate particle size (D50) for most compositions can be tailored to be in the range of 1 – 2 µm, with the primary particles being much smaller. The particle structure can be further tuned to include a surface coating of carbon or a conducting polymer, such as polyaniline, PANI, or an ionically conducting ceramic material. Some of the materials have been tested and validated in-house using half-cell configuration (i.e., sodium metal anode). For example, Na0.44MnO2+x has a second cycle charge and discharge capacity that is > 105 mAh/g.

Second cycle charge/discharge profile of Na0.44MnO2+x cathode powder

In addition to engineering the particle morphology, all sodium-based cathode and anode materials can be supplied as cast electrodes on a current collector of choice. Customers can specify the active material, binder content, amount of conducting carbon and active material per unit area (in case of cathode and anode).

NEI Corporation has built a reputation for supplying consistent and high-quality solid electrolyte materials – oxide materials, such as Al-doped lithium lanthanum zirconium oxide (LLZO) and tantalum-doped LLZO (LLZTO), phosphate compounds, such as LATP or LAGP, and a variety of sulfide-based materials. While the average particle size (D50) for these standard powders is in the 3 – 5 microns range, customers can request a smaller D50.

Cole-Cole plot of sintered LAGP pellet

Cole-Cole plot of sintered LAGP pellet

The ionic conductivity of the oxide materials, measured in-house using Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy in a test cell shown in the inset of the picture (left), is in the range of 1 x 10-4 S/cm to 5 x 10-4 S/cm, and that of sulfides can be as high as 1 x 10-3 S/cm.

A recent and exciting development has been the offering of composite solid electrolyte materials in the form of either a polymer-based dispersion or cast membrane. Customers can choose any oxide ceramic solid electrolyte and a base polymer or co-polymer from PEO, PVDF, PVDF-HFP, and PAN. The type of lithium salt in the polymer can be selected from LiTFSI, LiClO4, LiFSI, and LiBOB.

In addition to increasing the suite of materials being offered, NEI has developed new materials synthesis capabilities, which serve as demonstration stations for exploring new compositions that are difficult to produce using conventional processing. A case in point is precursor materials obtained from recovered nickel, cobalt and manganese salts from recycled lithium-ion batteries. The solution-precipitation setup, installed at NEI, serves as a test-bed to determine processing parameters for materials such as NMC532 and NMC622, or any mixed metal oxide for that matter.

There is also increasing interest in cathode materials that are fluorinated and/or contain vanadium, which as multiple valence states and can lead to high capacities. To this end, NEI has produced LiFeSO4F and LiVPO4F with a high degree of crystallinity and phase purity.

Overall, the introduction of these new materials and processes will provide new capabilities to lithium battery developers and manufacturers to enable practical solid-state batteries. Dr. Skandan adds, “It is exciting for the team at NEI to tread on uncharted waters and explore synthesis and processing of new materials, and particularly using newly developed processes. We welcome the opportunity to serve the needs of the Battery community.”

Download Press Release (pdf) ↓


About NEI: Founded in 1997, NEI develops, manufactures, and sells advanced materials for a broad range of industrial customers around the world. The company’s core competencies are in designing, developing, and producing products that meet the specific application needs of its customers. More importantly, NEI is a solutions provider, working closely with customers to produce and implement materials for their applications. NEI’s products, which are sold under the registered trademark NANOMYTE®, are backed by a suite of issued and pending patents. NEI’s products include:  Lithium-ion Battery Materials, Na-ion Battery Materials, Functional & Protective Coatings, and Specialty Nanoparticle-based products. NEI also offers associated materials characterization and testing services.

For more information, give us a call or email us.

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Price Increases will go into effect on January 1, 2022

November 1, 2021

Dear Customers,

In recent months we have experienced significant increases in the cost of raw materials and labor, and we are now at a point that we can no longer shoulder the burden by ourselves. Unfortunately, we are not immune to the spike in inflation that all of us have been experiencing.

Starting January 1, 2022, you can expect to see a price increase of up to 6% depending on the type of product or service we offer. Any order placed between now and the end of this year will be honored at the current prices. We sincerely hope you understand the need for the price increase.

We thank you for being a valued customer.

Sincerely,
NEI Corporation

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NEI Case Study Featured in PCI Magazine

From Concept to Implementation:

Anti-ice Coating Technology for the Aerospace Industry

A manufacturer of de-icing systems brought up the idea of combining an active de-icing system with a coating that easily sheds ice. Ice formation on the leading edge of an aircraft is a common aviation danger, playing a key role in several catastrophic accidents over the years that have killed people and destroyed aircrafts. All commercial aircraft have a built-in ice protection system, which could be either a thermal, thermal-mechanical, electro-mechanical, or pneumatic system. A common issue with de-icing devices is that they consume substantial power.  Aircraft generally look to reduce power consumption, and with the advent of battery-powered aircraft, mechanisms or features that reduce power consumption are critically important. The aspect of reduced power is also relevant for battery powered drones. Applying a passive anti-ice coating that functions synergistically with the active de-icing device is an attractive approach. The advantages are reduced power consumption, improved service life of mechanical components, lighter electronics and extra protection in case of failure of active device.

The challenge presented to the engineers and scientists at NEI Corporation was to develop and demonstrate a coating that exhibits durable anti-ice performance and satisfactory wear and erosion resistance. More importantly, it needed to be practical for retrofitting in-service aircraft as well as be used by OEMs. In order to address the need, NEI developed its NANOMYTE® SuperAiTM coating technology to have the following features:

  • Extremely lubricating surface
  • Superior ice adhesion reduction factor
  • Thin coating (< 1 mil or 25 microns), providing a light weight solution
  • Durable anti-ice performance, suitable for permanent application
  • Room temperature cure
  • Easy application by spraying, dipping, or brushing
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About NEI Corporation:

NEI is an application-driven company that utilizes materials science & chemistry to develop and produce Advanced Materials. NEI offers an array of Functional Coatings for metal and polymer surfaces. The coatings have tailored functionalities, such as Easy-to-Clean, Anti-Ice, Self-Healing, Corrosion resistant, Anti-Fog, and Abrasion Resistant.

For more information, give us a call or email us.