Abakan, an emerging leader in the advanced coatings and metal formulations markets, recently announced that Powdermet, the company’s subsidiary, has secured several significant partnerships with corporate, government, and military agencies to advance commercialization of its EnCompTM Energetic nanocomposites and MComPTM Microcomposite materials to be used in high-density energy storage and energy-efficient mechanical bearing markets.
The partnerships, which include the U.S. Army, the U.S. Department of Energy, and the U.S. Navy, serves to further legitimize the potential impact of these advanced materials. Developed by Powdermet and its partners, the disruptive material science platforms have applications in industries such as Energy, Defense, and Transportation among others.
“Powdermet has been at the forefront of technical innovation for the past decade, and our expertise in nanotechnology and advanced materials development has attracted top-tier partners,” stated Robert Miller, CEO of Abakan Inc. “The company is now focused on commercializing several of its technology platforms following our successful research and development which have shown very impressive results for these platforms. We expect to serve multi-billion dollar markets across a variety of industries.”
Powdermet’s EnCompTM Energetic nanocomposite materials aids in the improvement of both the energy and power density of batteries. Powdermet entered a partnership with the U.S. Army to develop applications requiring instant-on storage of a large amount of electrical energy at high voltages for long periods of time without significant current leakage. By utilizing nanoparticle synthesis and controlled dispersion processing capabilities, Powdermet has demonstrated melt-processable nanoparticle-filled engineered composite film dielectrics showing 20 to 30 J/cc of energy density, highlighting the opportunity for the technology to vastly improve energy storage technologies for the transportation and renewable energy sectors.
Additionally, nanodielectric materials for smart grid applications are forecasted to represent a $500 million market by 2017, according to nanomarkets, presenting further opportunities outside initial defense applications. The nanodielectric materials are expected to have several other applications, such as replacing and enhancing batteries in the electric vehicle, consumer electronics, and other industries, providing a more than $1 billion market for nanodielectrics within the next five to seven years.
Powdermet’s long-standing collaboration with Michigan State University has also recently received investment from the Department of Energy to further develop critical nanocomposite separators required for ultra-high power density multivalent batteries based on ionic liquids. Enabling an order of magnitude increase in the power density of batteries, multivalent batteries enable the handling of high power loads in smaller, lighter, and lower cost devices. This technology provides a synergy for Powdermet’s ongoing efforts to develop encapsulated nanocomposite anode and cathode materials, addressing several needs within the $100 billion global advanced battery manufacturing value chain.
Lastly, Powdermet’s MComPTM Microcomposite cermet (ceramic-metal) materials supply the friction and wear performance equivalent to advanced, diamond-like carbon coatings, while maintaining the toughness, strength, and formability of metals. Partnering with the U.S. Navy, Powdermet will provide a solution to contamination issues in spherical plain airframe bearings by using advanced coatings that have already been commercialized through Abakan subsidiary MesoCoat. These nanocomposite cermet materials will have a significant impact as they can be applied across the transportation, energy, military, construction, and other sectors for reducing friction and extending the life of, or eliminating the need for lubricants, in highly stressed systems.
For more information on Abakan, please visit www.abakaninc.com
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