More energy dense, faster charging batteries. Batteries, or any energy storage of all natures, are so critical to the ongoing energy and mobility transitions. One of the areas that doesn’t get much thought, but is so critical, is material science, the materials which enable bigger, better, faster, more efficient batteries. This week I speak to Francis Wang, CEO of Nanograf. From PhD to entrepreneur and CEO, he has a great story to tell, and some superb insights into both the startup entrepreneurial journey, and the whole battery industry. I hope you enjoy the episode.

The battery supply chain crisis will extend through 2022. In 2022, Asia’s dominant position as the world’s leader in the lithium-ion supply chain will continue, but it is expected that Asian suppliers across the value chain will be challenged with supply chain constraints. Just how long and wide-reaching the bottlenecks persist may very well depend on the impact of the Omicron variant.

We see disasters on the news – extreme weather, failing power grids, rising sea-levels, and more. Francis recognized that in order to solve these challenges you needed to disrupt, take chances, and innovate.

Some of Francis Wang’s favorite childhood memories are of doing science experiments with his father. Francis’ father was a chemist and planted the early seeds of innovation and creative thinking. In his favorite experiment, Francis grew crystals in plastic cups and figured out how to make the crystals bigger.

Efforts are underway to limit the performance of lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles (EVs). U.S. startups and SoftBank have each devised electrode materials to double their capacity. The cruising range extends proportionally. The company aims to put it into practical use after 2022. There is a high possibility that technology can be diverted to all-solid-state batteries, which are said to be the favorite of the next generation, and competition for development is intensifying.

Chicago-based NanoGraf says it has developed a new silicon-based battery chemistry with much higher energy density than is currently available.

According to Francis Wang, the CEO of NanoGraf (a Chicago-based battery tech company with just under $25 million raised), “the Midwest not only has a deep talent pool with top universities and national labs, but is also quickly becoming a ‘quality of life’ alternative to the West Coast.”

According to the startup executive, the result of the quality-of-life conversation is that they are “increasingly seeing talent finishing their education in the Midwest and deciding to stay.”

The global market for batteries continues to grow, as demand for battery power accelerates across several industries, from electric vehicles (EVs) to electronic devices, and for energy storage in the power generation sector. New battery materials are being developed as manufacturers look for ways to increase energy density and provide longer-lasting modes of power.

NanoGraf's technology is also centered on silicon to create more energy dense batteries by replacing the more widely used graphite in anodes with silicon. Wang says the batteries offer 29% more run time than graphite-based batteries, and that has the U.S. military interested.

NanoGraf’s Francis Wang says the only way to ensure no batteries with defects reach consumers is to inspect every one of them before they leave the factory. That's the policy for batteries used in medical device implanted in humans, but not so in the cost-conscious auto industry.