Research on graphite and graphene materials for lithium-ion batteries by the Energy Materials Innovation Team of Tsinghua SIGS received second prize in the 2018 National Technology Invention Awards. The following year, 12 core patents involved in the technology were converted into a stake and led to the establishment of the Shenzhen Graphene Innovation Center Co., Ltd in a successful move of commercialization. The company features a mixed ownership structure that brings together diverse stakeholders, including government-run industry platforms, universities, research institutes, private businesses, and non-governmental investors. It aims to become a national-level graphene innovation center that spans the entire industry chain, capable of graphene fabrication, measurement, testing, equipment manufacturing, and application.
The Energy Innovation Team has long been committed to basic research and commercialization in the fields of graphene materials and energy storage devices. Its technologies have obtained nearly 50 invention patents and made remarkable progress. Mass production and large-scale application of these patented technologies have been achieved at various firms, such as XFH, RNE, and SuperC. Products have made their way to California Lithium Battery Inc. as well as China’s leading lithium battery makers, such as CATL, BYD and ATL. These core technologies have achieved multiple breakthroughs in the fabrication and application of graphene and energy storage materials. Efforts to commercialize them have yielded impressive economic and social benefits.
