Ecopro BM is also preparing to manufacture monocrystalline cathode materials. While polycrystalline structures are currently applied to electric vehicles, they tend to degrade faster due to the increasing gaps between materials with repeated charging and discharging. Single crystals, however, are devoid of this issue, as their particles do not break.
Monocrystalline is exactly what Nano One have patentet
So i might have been wrong about Ecopro BM.............[url=https://https://asiatechobserver.com/batteries/ecopro-bm-boosts-global-cathode-production-with-major-investments-in-south-korea-and-canada/]Ecopro BM link[/url] .........https://nanoone.ca/news/news-releases/nano-one-introduces-a-breakthrough-in-longer-lasting-lithium-ion-cathode-materials/........
Conventional cathodes consist of a dense cluster of crystalline particles (polycrystalline), made by first forming clusters of NMC precursor then milling with lithium and firing in a kiln. Protective coatings can then be formed by adding coating materials and firing again. However, the clusters expand, contract, and break apart from repeated charging, which fractures the outer coating and leaves individual crystals within the clusters exposed to deleterious side reactions. These polycrystalline particles can be transformed into large single crystals (monocrystalline) by prolonging the firing time in the kiln. The resulting powders are less prone to cracking but excessive time in the kiln damages the lithium nickel structures, adds prohibitive process cost and requires additional steps to apply protective coatings.
In contrast, Nano One’s patented One-Pot process combines all input components - lithium, metals, additives and coatings - in a single reaction to produce a precursor that, when dried and fired, forms quickly into a single crystal cathode material simultaneously with its protective coating.