Hunt Energy Enterprises Wins R&D 100 Award for Advanced Cathode Technology

Hunt Energy Enterprises has announced that its subsidiary, ACT-ion Battery Technologies, has been awarded a prestigious 2024 R&D 100 Award by R&D World Magazine. The recognition is for ACT-ion’s groundbreaking Hydro4Crystal platform, a novel process for manufacturing advanced cathode active materials (CAMs) for lithium-ion batteries.

The Hydro4Crystal platform sets itself apart from traditional cathode battery material production methods, which are known for being costly and complex. ACT-ion’s continuous process efficiently creates coated single crystal CAMs, resulting in lithium batteries with enhanced performance and extended cycle life.

Victor Liu, President of Hunt Energy Enterprises, expressed pride in receiving the award, highlighting the collaborative efforts with Argonne National Laboratory to not only advance lithium-ion battery performance but also bolster the United States’ supply chain and competitiveness in electric vehicles, energy storage, and other electrification applications.

Since its inception in 2019, ACT-ion Battery Technologies has dedicated its efforts to developing affordable, fast-charging, and long-lasting single crystal CAMs for lithium batteries. Jin Lim, Venture Leader of ACT-ion Battery Technologies at Hunt Energy Enterprises, emphasized the Hydro4Crystal process’s ability to produce high-performance single crystal CAMs at a reduced cost, waste, and emissions compared to conventional methods. The technology boasts versatility, accommodating various battery applications, from small electronics to electric vehicles.

ACT-ion’s Hydro4Crystal platform has demonstrated its effectiveness across diverse chemistries, including high-energy lithium manganese iron phosphate (LMFP), cobalt-free lithium-/manganese-rich oxides (LMR), lithium iron phosphate (LFP), and nickel manganese cobalt oxides (NMC) CAMs.

Youngho Shin, a senior process development engineer at Argonne National Laboratory, highlighted the seamless integration of single crystal formation, lithiation, doping, and surface coating of CAMs into a high-throughput one-pot process within the Hydro4Crystal platform. This continuous manufacturing technology is designed for large-scale, cost-effective production.

The collaborative efforts between ACT-ion Battery Technologies and Argonne were made possible by funding from the Department of Energy’s offices of Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Technologies and Vehicle Technologies, and Hunt Energy Enterprises.

About Hunt Energy Enterprises

Hunt Energy Enterprises is the corporate energy technology venture group within Hunt Consolidated, Inc. It fosters innovative energy technologies, creating new energy companies and partnerships. Hunt Energy Enterprises is a part of a larger group of companies managed by the Ray L. Hunt family, involved in various industries like oil and gas exploration, refining, power, real estate, ranching, and private equity investments.

About ACT-ion Battery Technologies

ACT-ion Battery Technologies is a leading company specializing in lithium battery cathode active material (CAM) technology, established and incubated within Hunt Energy Enterprises. The company utilizes a novel, clean, and chemistry-agnostic rapid continuous process to produce coated single crystal CAMs for lithium batteries, requiring less energy and cost.

About Argonne

Argonne National Laboratory, managed by UChicago Argonne, LLC for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science, conducts leading-edge basic and applied research across various scientific disciplines. The U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science supports fundamental research in the physical sciences.