Pittsburgh, PA, USA – Today, Green Swan Partners LLC (GSP), a Pittsburgh, PA, based venture builder and Arizona State University (ASU) announced an option agreement with Skysong Innovations, ASU’s technology transfer group, under which GSP has the exclusive option to finalize commercial rights to ASU’s breakthrough fire-safe Lithium battery technology through a new startup Safe-Li.
ASU’s safe lithium technology portfolio features patent-pending inorganic ceramic separators made from a custom-formulated zeolite material for Lithium Ion Batteries (LIB) with improved safety, and a set of inorganic separators with a tailor-designed intra- and inter-particle pore structure for Lithium Metal batteries (LMB) with higher energy density. In addition to preventing thermal runaways and fire from dendrite breakthrough, the technologies also improves battery performance and longevity at higher charge-discharge rates by as much as three to five times. Finally, improved wettability of the separator allows for the use of a fire-retardant liquid electrolyte further reducing fire risk.
- “Billions of dollars have been invested in Lithium battery manufacturing infrastructure and our technology is an enabling technology that will help realize the full potential of these investments and indeed help it grow further and faster," said Chetan Chothani, CEO of Safe-Li.
“The electrification of our energy consumption is an important and necessary step as we battle climate change and improve sustainability,” said Chetan Chothani, CEO of Green Swan Partners. “Billions of dollars have been invested in Lithium battery manufacturing infrastructure and our technology is an enabling technology that will help realize the full potential of these investments and indeed help it grow further and faster.”
“A lot of work has been done by many others to solve the thermal runaway problem in Lithium based batteries,” said Dr. Jerry Lin, ASU Regents’ professor, inventor of the technologies and Chief Scientist at Safe-Li. “Most of these require a change in the battery manufacturing process which would require new large-scale investments and re-tooling. We focused our approach towards integrating our technology into existing battery manufacturing systems. By doing this we can leverage the existing manufacturing infrastructure and scale up commercialization and deployment at a much faster rate.”
Safe-Li is now engaging with OEM partners, battery manufacturers and others in the battery and electrification value chain. The technologies have been successfully demonstrated at a coin cell level. Safe-Li expects smaller size battery configurations, of up to 1 Ah to be available commercially within the year and larger base configurations of 10-100 Ah and larger to be available within 18-24 months.
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About Green Swan Partners, LLC: Green Swan Partners (GSP), established in 2020, is a venture builder focused on generating wealth and planetary health. GSP invests its time, talent, and capital in ventures that meet a critical industry need while making a positive impact on the environment. GSP takes equity positions in these ventures and builds long-term shareholder value. www.Green-Swans.com
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About ASU: Arizona State University, ranked No. 1 “Most Innovative School” in the nation by U.S. News & World Report for seven years in succession, has forged the model for a New American University. ASU is a comprehensive public research institution, measured not by whom it excludes, but by whom it includes and how they succeed; advancing research and discovery of public value; and assuming fundamental responsibility for the economic, social, cultural and overall health of the communities it serves. ASU operates on the principles that learning is a personal and original journey for each student; that they thrive on experience and that the process of discovery cannot be bound by traditional academic disciplines. Through innovation and a commitment to accessibility, ASU has drawn pioneering researchers to its faculty even as it expands opportunities for qualified students, attracting some of the highest caliber students from all 50 states and more than 130 nations. About Skysong Innovations: Skysong Innovations works with ASU researchers to protect and commercialize the intellectual property they create, promoting the ASU research enterprise and enhancing the community ASU serves. Among universities without a medical school, the Milken Institute ranked ASU as sixth best for tech transfer. ASU is consistently among the top-performing large universities in annual surveys by the Association of University Technology Managers (AUTM) for invention disclosures, patents, venture formation, and deal-making per $10 million in research expenditures. Skysong Innovations has helped launch more than 160 new spinout companies from ASU, which together have attracted more than a billion dollars in outside investments. Learn more: www.skysonginnovations.com.
