Dive Brief:
- The Chemours Co. opened its Battery Innovation Center, a research and development facility located at its discovery hub in Newark, Delaware, on Aug. 13.
- The “multi-million-dollar” center will support testing and scaling of next-generation lithium-ion battery technologies to make them more sustainable, energy-efficient and cost-effective for hybrid and electric vehicles, according to the press release.
- The facility will also serve as a support lab, enabling the chemical maker’s engineers to collaborate with partners and customers to advance, pilot, and adopt new ways to manufacture cost-effective lithium-ion batteries.
Dive Insight:
The Chemours Battery Innovation Center’s equipment and data analytics capabilities will be used to determine new and improved manufacturing processes.
“Electric vehicles are an essential part of the clean energy transition, and Chemours is dedicated to applying our advanced chemistry and material science knowledge to accelerate the electric future,” Gerardo Familiar, president of Advanced Performance Materials at Chemours, said in a statement.
For example, Chemours’ Teflon brand fluoropolymer binders are used and necessary to develop solvent-free battery electrode manufacturing, Familiar said. The binders, which are made with PFAS, help to make EVs more cost-effective and energy-efficient, Familiar added.
“Through the Chemours Battery Innovation Center, we can enable the adoption and scalability of this novel dry electrode coating technology to advance the capabilities of [lithium-ion batteries] and the electric vehicle industry,” Familiar said.
Automakers use the forever chemical Teflon brand because it makes EVs resistant to heat and corrosion as well as tolerate harsh environments, according to the Teflon website.
However, EVs and batteries are not the only industries Chemours’ Teflon brand chemicals are used in. The various PFAS substances brand is also used in aerospace, defense, electronics, energy, oil and gas as well as semiconductors, according to the chemical brand’s website.
With more semiconductor projects being announced due to the CHIPS and Science Act, the demand for the Teflon brand PFA chemicals has increased and consistently sold out. Teflon PFA is a forever chemical resin used in semiconductor manufacturing to prevent contamination during wet etching and fabrication.
Chemours is the only U.S.-based manufacturer of the Teflon brand material. Thus, the chemical titan is pushing to meet the ongoing semiconductor demand.
Next month, Chemours plans to open its expanded Washington Works facility in Parkersburg, West Virginia, after receiving its wastewater permit. The expanded plant will produce Teflon PFA.
