The technology company leading the commercialisation of breakthroughs in one of the world’s most remarkable fibres is a major sponsor of the Technology and Innovation Summit in Geelong.
The PPK Group has multiple joint ventures based at Deakin University involving the production and application of boron nitrate nanotubes (BNNT), which in addition to being super strong, lightweight and flexible are nearly transparent to visible light, resist oxidation, are stable semiconductors and excellent conductors of heat.
The joint ventures include BNNT Technology which is among the world leaders in industrial-scale production of BNNT, Li-S Energy which is developing a next generation lithium-sulphur battery, and White Graphene Limited which will develop BNNT nanosheets that are a single molecule thick.
Listed on the ASX last year, Li-S Energy is developing its battery in response to demand for better, lighter, faster more environmentally conscious batteries.
The company has a collaboration agreement with Australian company Janus Electric, which has developed a proprietary system to convert diesel-powered prime movers to electric power, to test the Li-S-made batteries.
Li-S Technology CEO Dr Lee Finniear said research at Deakin University’s Institute of Frontier Materials had led to the breakthroughs in BNNT production.
“They have cracked the problem of producing BNNT at a commercially reasonable price point and at scale,” Dr Lee Finniear said.
“This has the potential to make a dramatic impact on the global stage.”
The breakthrough positions Geelong as a new powerhouse in the development of the next generation of batteries with potential worldwide applications.
The Technology and Innovation Summit is on April 21.
