In tough competition, Nilar International AB has been granted research funding of SEK 2.5 million from the Swedish Foundation for Strategic Research (SSF). The funds are allocated to the project "Development of electrode materials for NiMH batteries", a collaboration between Uppsala University and Nilar. The research project focuses on Nickel Metal Hydride batteries and how higher performance can be achieved through new coatings, additives and dopants. The project starts in January 2024 and runs for five years.
- That Nilar is awarded yet another research grant is both a seal of approval on our R&D ability and at the same time it shows the need for more research collaborations to enable tomorrow's energy solutions. Batteries are a crucial part of the green transition, and it is important to continue to develop the batteries' performance, production and circularity, says Erik Oldmark, CEO of Nilar International AB.
In the motivation, SSF highlights the project's strategic societal benefit in the short and long term. The preliminary study shows great potential to further reduce the last part of cobalt from Nilar's batteries. This paves the way for important insights into how the material selections affect the battery's properties. A reduced use of cobalt is positive from several aspects, not least from a safety point of view and from a sustainability perspective.
The research project will be carried out by the industrial doctoral candidate Elsa Lindström from Nilar. Mathias Forsberg and Jenny Börjesson Axén, both senior research engineers are supervisors from Nilar, and Andrew Naylor from Uppsala University participates as supervisor from the Department of Chemistry.
Nilar combines leading research expertise with experience from practical application in real life. Together with strategic partners, Nilar develops comprehensive solutions for energy storage, where the company's unique battery technology based on NiMH electrochemistry with a water-based electrolyte is at the center. The technology means that Nilar's batteries have increased safety while the components can be recycled and reused.