A deal between 3M and LG Chem should accelerate the use of nickel, cobalt, manganese (NCM) in lithium-ion batteries and ultimately boost the take-up of electric vehicles globally, says Christian Milker, business manager in the Materials Solutions Division of 3M Electronics.

Under the agreement, 3M grants LG Chem a licence to US Patents 6,660,432, 6,964,828, 7,078,128, 8,685,565 and 8,241,791 and all global equivalents including in Korea, Taiwan, Japan, China and Europe.

“LG Chem is a leader in the electric vehicle battery field, and NMC cathode compositions have shown significant benefit in large format applications, like electric vehicles. This licence will accelerate the adoption of NMC technology to meet the growing demand for electric vehicles worldwide,” said Milker.

3M is not the only company to have been granted a patent licence for these products. Other companies working on similar developments include: Umicore, Hunan Reshine New Material, EcoPro and L&F Materials.

“NMC cathode compositions offer an outstanding balance of power, energy, thermal stability and low cost,” said Milker. “NMC cathode materials can be tailored through changes in composition and morphology to meet a wide range of customer requirements from high energy handheld consumer electronics to high power electric vehicles.”