Arkema and Hydro-Québec Seal R&D Pact

French chemical producer Arkema and the French subsidiary of Canada’s Hydro-Québec, SCE France, have agreed a research partnership for energy storage chemicals.

In particular, the two companies plan to cooperate on development of a new generation of materials for the manufacture of lithium-ion batteries, in particular new electrolytes, such as solvents or lithium salts and conduction agents including carbon nanotubes and conductive polymers.

Karim Zaghib, energy storage and conversion director at IREQ and Managing director of SCE France, said the partnership with a company such as Arkema “clearly positions us as a leader in the development of highly promising technologies for cutting-edge batteries that will power tomorrow’s electric transport as well as develop energy storage system.”

Arkema’s top objective, said research and development vice president Christian Collette, is to “speed up the placing on the market of new lithium salts, which have already proven their efficiency in improving the safety and power of Li-Ion batteries."