Nexeon has announced that its first manufacturing plant for silicon-carbon materials has reached ‘production-ready’ status, as the company looks to supply battery cell makers at scale.
The Oxfordshire-headquartered business said its facility in Gunsan, South Korea, has been successfully commissioned. Nexeon described it as the first volume production facility globally dedicated to silicon-carbon materials designed to improve lithium-ion battery performance.
Silicon-carbon materials are being developed by a growing number of firms as the battery industry looks to improve energy density and charging performance. Nexeon’s announcement comes as cell makers and automotive OEMs continue to push suppliers for materials that can deliver performance gains while meeting increasingly stringent quality and consistency requirements.
“This achievement consolidates our position as a secure volume supplier for the world’s most demanding cell manufacturers”, said Dr Scott Brown, CEO of Nexeon.
“The silicon-carbon materials produced at the Gunsan facility are designed to increase the energy density and charging speed of lithium-ion batteries significantly, addressing critical performance requirements for the EV and consumer electronics markets.”
The company said it is now progressing through final customer production qualification processes, under automotive quality standards.
Nexeon also pointed to Gunsan’s location as a benefit for supply chain security, citing access to monosilane gas, a precursor material used in production, through supplier partnerships. It added that the site’s proximity to major Asian battery cell producers is intended to support integration into battery supply chains.
The company said the plant has been designed to support lower-risk expansion, with additional reactors able to be introduced to scale capacity as demand for high-performance battery materials grows.
