NanoGraf lands $1.65M grant from DoD to develop long-lasting batteries for military equipment

Battery tech startup NanoGraf has landed a $1.65 million grant from the U.S. Department of Defense to develop longer-lasting batteries to power military equipment.

NanoGraf, founded in 2012 and formerly known as SiNode Systems, makes powerful, patented lithium-ion batteries, a product initially developed at Northwestern University and Argonne National Laboratory. The company was originally founded by Samir Mayekar, who is now Chicago’s deputy mayor for economic and neighborhood development.

NanoGraf’s battery tech utilizes a composite of silicon and graphene in a layered structure to create higher cell level energy density and faster charging in lithium ion batteries.

The grant from the DoD is meant to develop silicon anode-based lithium-ion technology that is compatible with all portable batteries. The goal is to increase equipment runtime by 50-100% when compared to traditional graphite anode lithium-ion cells, and allow batteries to have a shelf life of more than two years and operate across a wide temperature range from -4° F to 131° F.

In working with the military, NanoGraf’s technology will allow for better portable power in communication equipment, which will help soldiers operate safely while in small, dispersed teams.

“We’re tremendously excited by the opportunity to partner with the Department of Defense on such a mission-critical project,” said Cary Hayner, the co-founder and chief technology officer at NanoGraf, in a statement. “Portable power is crucial when it comes to keeping U.S. soldiers safe, and we know NanoGraf brings the necessary knowledge and technology to get there.”

This isn’t NanoGraf’s first government funding. In 2016, the company received a $4 million contract with the United States Advanced Battery Consortium (USABC)—made up of Ford, GM and Fiat-Chrysler—to make batteries for electric cars. And in 2019, it received an additional $7.5 million grant from the USABC to continue that work.

On the corporate investment side, NanoGraf raised $4.5 million in 2018 from Tokyo-based chemical company JNC, which develops liquid crystals, electronic components, silicon products and aroma chemicals, among other things. The deal allowed NanoGraf to enter into a joint venture with the investor and set up production facilities in Japan, expanding the company’s distribution channels and global footprint.

To date, NanoGraf has raised nearly $22 million. The startup currently employs 23 people, 15 of which are in Chicago. The other eight are in Japan, the company said.