03/11/2020
La Provincia of Como

Agreement of the ComoNext based company with the American company NexTech Batteries
A new step forward for Directa Plus, the graphene company based in Lomazzo within ComoNext. The company led by CEO Giulio Cesareo and listed on the London Stock Exchange has signed a memorandum of understanding with the US company NexTech Batteries, specialised in the lithium-sulphur battery sector.
Under this agreement, Directa Plus will provide the Nevada-based company with graphene nanoplatelets for the production of the lithium-sulfur battery cathode and has granted NexTech an exclusive five-year period in this field.
The American company was founded a few years ago, in 2016, but has already managed to obtain the exclusive license of intellectual property relating to lithium-sulfur batteries, developed by the Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. As Cesareo explains, “these batteries have a higher technology than those with lithium ions because they have a five times higher energy density, a significant cost advantage, a higher safety profile and a less complex production process”.
The market for these types of batteries, also due to the investments already planned on the op, electric mobility, is destined to grow rapidly in the coming years “Environmental sustainability – says the CEO of the company in Lomazzo – is at the centre of Directa’s objectives and a successful global transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources is one of the most important environmental challenges that the world has to face.
Better battery technology and more widespread distribution – he adds – are clearly vital for achieving this goal”.
“We are very excited – says Bill Burger, CEO of NexTech – about the opportunity we have for taking advantage of the know-how of Directa Plus materials and apply it to the field of energy storage. Electric mobility is at the heart of NexTech’s activities; making batteries cheap, sustainable and safe is one of the most important technological challenges we face: the best materials for batteries and a higher energy density are clearly the key to achieving these objectives and, thanks to the collaboration between Direct and NexTech, these materials will become a reality”.
Directa Plus has been researching batteries for years: “By doing some market analysis – says Cesareo – our attention has been captured by this small Nevada company that has been awarded a very significant patent: our trade agreement, signed two weeks ago, is very relevant also in terms of quantities supplied. With this understanding – he concludes – we enter a market of enormous potential”.