WACKER participates in British battery material specialist Nexeon
Wacker Chemie AG is intensifying its research activities in the field of silicon-based materials for high-performance batteries with a stake in Nexeon Ltd. As the Munich-based chemical company announced today, WACKER 25 acquires a percentage of the shares in the British specialist company for new battery materials. WACKER and Nexeon have agreed to remain silent about the purchase price. Nexeon develops, manufactures and sells innovative anode materials based on silicon, which can significantly increase the performance of lithium-ion batteries. WACKER has been doing research in this area since the year 2010 and had already co-operated 2013 with Nexeon.
"Today's agreement is an important step in broadening and further strengthening our activities in silicon-based anode materials for next-generation batteries," said Christian Hartel, Member of the Board and responsible for research and development at WACKER. "On the one hand, this allows us to focus and develop our own successful research work in this field. On the other hand, with this investment we are strengthening our previous cooperation with Nexeon in the development of supplementary material concepts. WACKER is predestined to develop and manufacture such innovative materials based on its decades of deep experience in silicon chemistry. "
"We look forward to further strengthening our proven relationship with WACKER," said Scott Brown, Nexeon's Chief Executive Officer. "When developing silicon-based materials that replace carbon as the anode in lithium-ion batteries, we are one of the technology leaders. With WACKER, we have a strong partner on our side who can help us with further development and commercialization. "
Especially for applications in mobile communication devices such as smartphones and tablets as well as in electric vehicles, powerful lithium-ion batteries play a key role. Silicon-based materials have the highest known storage capacity for lithium ions and therefore have the potential to significantly increase the energy density of such batteries and thus their performance.
About Nexeon
Headquartered in the UK, Nexeon Ltd (www.nexeon.co.uk) is focused on developing and licensing innovative and cost-efficient silicon-based anode materials that enable significantly more powerful batteries. Nexeon works with OEMs and battery manufacturers to realize next-generation lithium-ion batteries and has an established application lab in Yokohama, Japan. The company has in mind the scalability of mass production as well as sustainability in the development of its materials.
About WACKER
WACKER is a global chemical company with around 14.500 employees and an annual turnover of 4,98 billion € (2018). WACKER has a leading position in a wide range of industries and industries with a wide range of technologically advanced specialty products. WACKER products are needed in many high-end consumer markets, such as the solar industry, electronics, and pharmaceutical and personal care products. WACKER has a network of currently 24 production sites and 22 technical centers of excellence in Europe, America and Asia, as well as some 50 sales offices worldwide. The share of Wacker Chemie AG is listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange.
Contact
Wacker Chemie AG
Press and information
Christof Bachmair
Tel. + 49 89 6279 -1830
E-mail ppgad@pucrs.br
