Jeff Dahn re-signs with Tesla and joins Novonix

EV battery materials supplier and developer Novonix has appointed Tesla battery research head professor Jeff Dahn as its chief scientific advisor from July this year.

Dahn has renewed his contract with Tesla for another five years (his initial five-year contract was due to expire in June 2021), but in a scaled-back role while he works with Novonix.

It’s probably no surprise Dahn will join Novonix since the company’s origins stem from Dahn’s Dalhousie University lab, while five of his doctoral students and his son Jackson Dahn work at Novonix.

Dahn will provide advice relating to Novonix initiatives across its battery materials and research businesses as well as key customer and business development projects.

He and the Dalhousie University research team in Halifax, Nova Scotia will continue to work alongside Tesla.

Dahn is a leading researcher in the field of lithium-ion batteries and materials and holds the title of NSERC/Tesla Canada Industrial Research Chair with Dalhousie University where has spent the past 25 years as a professor.

Dahn has co-authored 730 papers and has 73 inventions with patents issued or filed, including some of the early patents related to Li[NiMnCo]O2 (NMC) cathode material in 2001.

“We are extremely excited to have professor Dahn join the Novonix team and become involved in our initiatives to develop and supply world-leading materials to the lithium-ion battery sector,” Novonix chief executive Dr Chris Burns says.

Novonix Battery Technology Solutions (BTS) was spun out of Dahn’s research group in 2013 by Burns while completing his PhD under Dahn’s supervision.

The two scientists collaborated during 2016-2017 when Burns worked at Tesla and began the relationship with Dahn’s research group. Dahn and his research group have had an exclusive research partnership with Tesla since 2016.

Dalhousie University has also recently announced that two professors – Chongyin Yang and Michael Metzger – have joined the Dalhousie research group and the Tesla partnership starting January 4 this year. This additional leadership will enable Dahn to spend some of his time working with Novonix’s team.

“The Novonix team is comprised of creative scientists and engineers who are doing exciting and novel work. I am thrilled to have this opportunity,” Dahn says.

Novonix BTS continues developing innovative materials and solutions for advancing the performance and lowering the cost of lithium-ion batteries including filing recent patent applications on dry particle microgranulation (DPMG) technology and electrolyte systems.

DPMG can be used to lower the cost and increase the efficiency of manufacturing of both anode and cathode materials. This includes the ability to synthesise cathode materials through a new, low-cost process.

Novonix BTS is scaling development of this material including the installation of its cathode pilot processing facility.

In addition to its Canadian operations, Novonix operates the PUREgraphite anode material plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee, which is ramping up capacity to 2000 tons/year of synthetic graphite. Included in this increased output will be the supply of an initial 500 tons to Samsung SDI, one of the world’s largest lithium-ion battery makers for EVs.

As the only US supplier of synthetic graphite to tier-one EV battery producers, Novonix also has a non-binding agreement with Sanyo Electric Co. (a subsidiary of Panasonic Corporation of Japan) to assess production materials from this plant.

Novonix’s mission is to accelerate the adoption of batteries for a cleaner energy future.