Novacium and Tokai COBEX to Assess Integrated European Silicon-Graphite Anode Material

Novacium and Tokai COBEX Collaborate to Evaluate an Integrated and Sovereign European Anode Material Solution for Lithium-Ion Batteries

• Leverage two complementary areas of expertise: Novacium’s high-capacity silicon-based anode materials and Tokai COBEX’s low-carbon synthetic graphite developed for batteries and produced in Europe.
• Evaluate the techno-economic viability of an integrated European solution for a complete, high-capacity, low-carbon anode material.

MONTREAL, Canada — HPQ Silicon Inc. (“HPQ” or the “Company”) (TSX-V: HPQ) (OTCQB: HPQFF) (FRA: 8PY1), is pleased to inform its shareholders that its strategic partner, NOVACIUM SAS, a French deep-tech company specializing in materials for energy applications, has announced the launch of exploratory work with Tokai COBEX Savoie, the French entity of Tokai COBEX, itself a subsidiary of the Japanese Tokai Carbon Group and a recognized player in carbon and graphite products. The research and development teams of both companies will evaluate the compatibility and performance of their respective materials to develop an integrated anode material solution designed and potentially produced in France.

Novacium brings its expertise in silicon-based anode materials developed to increase the energy capacity of lithium-ion cells [1].

Tokai COBEX brings battery-grade synthetic graphite with a stated purity of 99.99%, produced in France using a very low-carbon process [2]. The combination could bring together, within a single composite anode material, the high specific capacity of silicon with the stability and conductivity of graphite.

An Ambition for Industrial Sovereignty

Graphite remains the dominant material used in lithium-ion anodes, but its theoretical specific capacity of approximately 372 mAh/g limits achievable energy gains. Silicon changes the scale: its theoretical capacity reaches approximately 4,200 mAh/g, more than ten times that of graphite, making it a major lever for significantly increasing cell energy density.

Silicon, however, presents a significant challenge: its volume can increase by more than 300% during lithiation. Controlling this expansion requires advanced material engineering. The published and validated performance of Novacium’s GEN3 and GEN4 anode materials shows that the company has developed a commercially relevant solution to address this challenge.

The joint evaluation therefore aims to determine whether the two technology components can form a complete, high-performance, durable and low-carbon anode solution capable of helping reduce Europe’s dependence on external materials and supply chains.

The proximity of the teams, with Novacium in Solaize and Tokai COBEX’s R&D centre in Vénissieux, should facilitate exchanges, shorten testing cycles and accelerate technical iterations. If the results are conclusive, this work could represent a step toward a more integrated, resilient and sovereign French supply chain for high-capacity lithium-ion battery anode materials.

A Structured Exploratory Initiative

At this stage, the collaboration relates exclusively to exploratory technical work and is not subject to any contract or binding commitment between the parties. No assurance can be given regarding the conclusion of any subsequent agreement, the industrialization of the solution or its commercialization.

Dr. Jed Kraiem, Ph.D., Chief Operating Officer of Novacium, said:

The objective is to verify that our silicon-based anode material can be effectively combined with French battery-grade synthetic graphite.

”Bringing these two complementary building blocks together in France would pave the way for a sovereign anode solution that is higher-performing, lower-carbon and more effectively controlled from an industrial standpoint.”
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Bernard Tourillon, President & CEO of HPQ Silicon Inc., which itself, IS President of Novacium, said:

This collaboration illustrates Novacium’s strategic positioning.

”As graphite-based anode materials approach their theoretical capacity limits, integrating silicon-based materials represents one of the most promising avenues for enabling graphite manufacturers to offer higher-performance anode materials. This initiative aims to transform Novacium’s expertise in silicon-based materials into practical solutions for demanding applications, in collaboration with leading industrial partners. It also reinforces the strategic value of HPQ’s 36.8% equity interest in Novacium.”

— Bénédicte Allard, R&D Director, Tokai COBEX, said:

We have developed, in France, a battery-grade synthetic graphite with strong durability performance and a very low carbon footprint.

”Combining it with a high-capacity silicon-based anode material is a natural extension of our approach, which is focused on continuously improving performance while maintaining our environmental requirements. The proximity of our R&D teams to Novacium’s will allow us to concretely evaluate the compatibility of our materials and the potential for an integrated, ultra-high-performance anode solution that addresses European sovereignty challenges.”

Vincent VITART, Managing Director, Tokai COBEX Savoie, said:

Our industrial sites have nearly 130 years of history, and drawing on that experience, we made the strategic choice several years ago to expand into battery graphite to address Europe’s societal and environmental challenges.

”Through the complementarity of our materials, our collaboration with Novacium helps strengthen the industrial position of Europe, and France in particular.”
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Novacium and Tokai COBEX Collaborate to Evaluate an Integrated and Sovereign European Anode Material Solution for Lithium-Ion Batteries, source