Last month, Ramez Elgammal, VP of Technology at Coretec attended the Battery Show Europe, the largest European trade fair for advanced battery technology, in Stuttgart, Germany. While smaller than the U.S. show, the audience was more focused on research and development, making it a key demographic for Coretec and our technology. There were many trends present during the show. For one, it’s quite clear that Europe is establishing itself as a manufacturing hub for batteries, with countries like Sweden making an aggressive push to become the epicenter. As such, these countries are working to identify what competitive advantages they can bring to the market that would be superior to Asia. Ramez observed strong interest in new anode materials, especially silicon based ones, with lithium metal anodes only garnering a small fraction of new materials R&D. New anode technology is crucial to improve battery performance. Many are seeking integrated technologies using silicon-based anodes to design next generation solid-state batteries, and view CHS as a potential key to reaching that objective. Ramez was encouraged by the feedback during the show, especially from the automotive groups present. Manufacturers currently producing batteries materials also held discussions of interest, all of which were just that – introductory conversations. While many potential customers are generally very receptive when it comes to discussing new Si-anode materials, performance testing is the next step which will ultimately move the needle for companies like Coretec. We were pleased with the discussions hosted and the new industry connections made, and remain optimistic for Si6H12, CHS, to be the Si precursor of choice for next generation solid state batteries. Please read the article, and follow us on Twitter and Facebook.