Niobium applied to metallic alloys.
Metal is used for much more than metallic alloys. New battery ‘escapes’ the binary systems of “on” and “off” and works as a “switch with multiple levels” of energy. Brazil dominates reserves, but there is also niobium here, in Alentejo.
The University of São Paulo (USP) announced the filing of a patent for what is considered the first battery niobium functional, stable and rechargeable in the world.
Although niobium is a strategic metal widely used in metallic alloys, the development of a battery with this material as a central component was until then a scientific challenge that had not yet been overcome on a global scale.
According to USP, niobium has multiple oxidation states, instead of functioning in binary “on” and “off” systems, which, in practice, significantly increases the charge storage potential.
The university also highlighted that the main advance was the creation of intelligent protection, called NB-RAMwhich prevents niobium from degrading or oxidizing outside of controlled environments. This allows the metal to repeatedly change its electronic level without losing stability: in practice, it works as a “multilevel switch”in which each level stores a different amount of energy.
Niobium as a strategic power
The initiative has great strategic importance, taking into account that the Brazil holds around 90% of the world’s niobium reserves . But, historically, the country has acted mainly as an exporter of raw ore or alloys with low added value. The patent seeks a paradigm shift, placing Brazil in a privileged position in the value chain of clean energy technologies. This would allow the country to export cutting-edge solutions, rather than just raw materials.
The technology was developed in the Bioelectrochemistry and Interfaces Group of the São Carlos Chemistry Institute (IQSC-USP), under the leadership of Frank Crespilhowhich states that “Brazil does not just need to export resources, but can lead technologies as long as science is treated as a national priority”.
The project took two years of optimization until it reached the stability necessary to file the patent. The battery has reached 3 voltswhich demonstrates its viability for practical applications, and the proof of concept was validated through multiple charge and discharge cycles in controlled environments, which attest to its durability and functionality.
Due to the abundance of the resource in Brazil and the efficiency of the new architecture, the technology is already attracting interest in global markets linked to the energy transition, with emphasis on Chinese companies.
With the patent filed, the focus now shifts to scaling production and looking for industrial partnerships that can take the product from the laboratory to the market.
“This is a strategic technology. Filing the patent guarantees protection, but it is the institutional commitment that ensures that it transforms into development, industry and technological sovereignty”, concludes the researcher.
Remember that, as ZAP reported this month, , among many other rare earths, in Penedo Gordo, in Alentejo. Minerals like this are increasingly sought after in the technology sector.
