History

Initial work on LiFePO₄ as cathode materials was done by Dr John Goodenough with University of Texas in 1996. Since then, a team of researchers from Hydro-Quebec (HQ) and Université de Montréal (UDM) joined the work and developed a proprietary fabrication process for Carbon-coated LiFePO₄.

In 2001, UDM and Hydro-Quebec, as owner or co-owner of many patents on LiFePO₄, mandated Phostech Lithium's founders to commercialize the product. It is on February 15th 2002 that Phostech Lithium Inc completed the closing of its Shareholder and Subscription Agreements with strategic industrial partners and investors in order to complete the financing of a 2 M$ Pilot Phase.

Objectives

Phostech Lithium actual objectives are two-ways:

• To develop and optimize the LiFePO₄ production process and to sell the product, first as a substitute to LiCoO₂ cathode material in Lithium-ion batteries used for the existing electronics application market and second, in new lithium-ion markets in which LiFePO₄ is an enabling technology for cost, safety and performance of larger cells, like for Lithium-ion batteries for Hybrid-Electric Vehicles (HEV)
  
  
• To optimize new materials of the LiFePO₄ family and other phospate-based cathode materials, by the use of additives or replacement atoms, to satisfy the needs of more customers and further improve electrochemical performances.

To achieve these objectives, Phostech Lithium actually runs a 50-ton/yr production facility of LiFePO₄, which allows for technical and financial optimization of the process and production of samples for our customers in the Lithium battery industry. Meanwhile, Phostech Lithium supports R&D on phosphate-based cathode materials at UDM and works in close collaboration with a unique team of dedicated researchers having a large background on most lithium batteries components (cathode, lithium salts, polymers, liquid electrolytes, anode materials…), allowing them to optimize and adapt these materials to new phosphate-based cathode materials.