Ateios Systems and Kodak say they have expanded the RaiCore battery electrode platform to three of the industry’s biggest cathode chemistries—lithium iron phosphate (LFP), nickel manganese cobalt (NMC) and lithium cobalt oxide (LCO)—while also securing third-party verification that the electrodes are PFAS-free.
The companies say independent testing found total organic fluorine levels below the analytical reporting limit of 20 parts per million in RaiCore composite electrode formulations for LCO, LFP, NMC and graphite. That is well below the 100 ppm regulatory threshold for PFAS-containing materials, according to the announcement. Ateios says this keeps RaiCore in the unusual position of being the only battery electrode platform verified by an independent third party as PFAS-free.
At the same time, Ateios introduced what it calls its fourth-generation RaiCore electrodes. The company says the updated formulation pushes active-material loading above 98%, improves the conductive additive network and improves rheology for high-speed gap coating, while staying compatible with existing battery manufacturing lines. That last part is probably the commercial hook: battery makers do not want to rebuild a factory just to adopt a new electrode recipe. Ateios also says LCO and LFP electrodes are already in pilot programs with leading battery OEMs.
The Kodak angle is manufacturing. Kodak says it is contributing its multilayer coating expertise to help scale production-grade battery cells across multiple chemistries. According to the release, support from the US National Science Foundation Energy Storage Engine in Upstate New York helped accelerate validation of RaiCore for LFP cathodes and scale fabrication of production-grade cells through grants including the group’s SuperBoost Technology Translation program.
“With the support of our customers, Kodak, and key materials suppliers, we continue pushing the frontier of battery production speed, performance, and sustainability,” said Ateios founder and CEO Rajan Kumar. Kodak Executive Chairman and CEO Jim Continenza said the company is contributing “precise, high-speed multilayer coating” capabilities to the platform. Ateios says qualification samples are now emerging from Kodak’s development and production coating machine.
Source: Kodak
