Campoona graphite put to the test
ARCHER Exploration, in partnership with The University of New South Wales (UNSW), has developed full-cell lithium-ion batteries suitable for use in the electric vehicle and consumer electrical markets.
The batteries comprise three commonly used cathode variants: lithium- nickelmanganese-cobalt (NMC), lithium-iron phosphate (LFP), and lithium-cobalt oxide (LCO), as well as graphite from Archer’s Campoona project on the Eyre Peninsula.
Archer chief executive officer Dr Mohammad Choucair said the speed at which the company delivered the technology was testament to the strong technical leadership culture at Archer.
“Collaboration with UNSW has greatly accelerated our advance in the battery space,” Dr Choucair said.
“We are now able to demonstrate complete, functioning, and commercially relevant batteries with Archer’s graphite.
“We have reached a major milestone towards integrating our substantial graphite resource in the lithium-ion battery supply chain.”
Dr Choucair said all synthesis, fabrication, characterisation and testing was carried out at UNSW.
“The work definitively shows that Archer’s graphite can be used in conjunction with different types of cathodes, making it suitable for multiple potential battery markets,” he said.
The next steps for Archer involved addressing the trade-off between cost and battery performance and building off scalable proof-of-production as it continues to target partnerships with lithium ion battery manufacturers.