Graphene Manufacturing Group (GMG) has confirmed the granting of a patent for its Graphene Aluminium Ion Battery in Australia, representing a step forward in the company’s battery technology development and manufacturing efforts.
The University of Queensland (UQ), which holds the patent, has granted GMG a worldwide exclusive commercialisation license, as revealed in a news release.
The battery, which GMG is co-developing with UQ and global mining company Rio Tinto, represents a promising innovation in the clean energy storage space. A prototype of the battery has already been developed in the form of a pouch cell, with further research and development underway.
In addition to the patent news, GMG revealed it has signed a new Collaborative Research Agreement with UQ’s Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (AIBN).
The agreement is aimed at continuing the research work that began in 2021 under an Australian Research Council Linkage Project.
Under the new arrangement, GMG and UQ will share access to each other’s facilities and research teams, with clearly defined intellectual property rights and obligations.
Professor Alan Rowan, Executive Director of UQ’s AIBN, welcomed the agreement, saying, “We look forward to continuing our strong research and development relationship with the world leading clean technology company GMG and deepening our knowledge on the graphene aluminium ion battery technology.”
The Australian Government has also committed AU$880,000 in grant funding to support UQ’s ongoing research on the battery.
GMG’s Managing Director and CEO, Craig Nicol, expressed optimism about the continuing partnership. “GMG is very pleased to continue working with the world leading UQ AIBN team and collaborating with them to co-develop our next generation Graphene Aluminium Ion Battery,” he said.
The Brisbane-based company is now shifting its manufacturing strategy. While it had previously planned to build an Automated Battery Pilot Plant at its Richlands headquarters in Queensland, that project has been shelved.
Instead, GMG is working with the Battery Innovation Center in Indiana, USA, to support the next phase of development. GMG and the State of Queensland have mutually agreed to an early termination of the Queensland Critical Minerals and Battery Technology Fund Agreement.
