Log9 Materials is a nanotechnology company that aims to revolutionize the energy sector with an innovative zero emission, low-cost aluminium-air fuel cell.
Log9’s mission is to create a clean, circular energy economy. The company has developed a fuel cell prototype that can power an automobile for 1,000 km with zero waste and zero emissions. The battery’s novel air-cathode selectively allows air to pass through to the electrolyte, reacting with the aluminium placed inside a chamber to generate electricity. The by-product, aluminium hydroxide, is deposited at the bottom of the fuel-cell in a powder form that can be recycled at a smelter and reused in the same battery again. Fresh aluminium in a rectangular ‘cassette-like’ form is put into the fuel-cell, a process that takes less than five minutes.
Existing Lithium batteries, in contrast, can power a car for 200 km, take two hours to recharge and typically wind up in a landfill after three or so years. The lack of dependence on lithium, cobalt and costly charging infrastructure would help Log9 resolve some of the largest bottlenecks in EV adoption today.
One of the biggest attractions of this technology is the fact that the cost does not scale in proportion to an increase in energy capacity of the fuel cell. Due to this quality, the fuel-cell lends itself very well to stationary storage energy applications, like telecom towers, data centers and power backup for home and office buildings.
Log9, which has over 16 global patents, was incubated at IIT-Roorkee in 2015 by Akshay Singhal and Kartik Hajela, who graduated with respective degrees in metallurgical and chemical engineering. The two set up Log9 Materials in Bangalore in 2017. Pankaj Sharma, a scientist with over 17 years’ experience in drug discovery, nano-biotechnology and molecule simulations, serves as a Co-Founding Advisor.