Ascend Performance Materials has successfully challenged a lithium-ion battery technology patent held by Samsung SDI. In a final written decision, the US Patent Trial and Appeal Board held that all of the challenged claims were invalid for multiple reasons.

The board’s decision broadly enables manufacturers to use Ascend’s Trinohex Ultra in the United States for their lithium-ion battery electrolyte formulations.

Trinohex Ultra is high-purity 1,3,6-hexanetricarbonitrile, an electrolyte additive proven to improve the performance and extend the life of high-voltage lithium ion batteries. Trinohex Ultra works by forming a protective film around the cathode, which prevents metal ion dissolution, decomposition of the electrolyte and hydrogen fluoride attack on the cathode.

Research has shown that adding Trinohex Ultra to Li-ion electrolyte solutions improves:

• Electron transfer by 20% over 150 cycles.

• Discharge capacity by 25% over 150 cycles.

It does this by forming a film that protects the cathode from metal ion dissolution and hydrogen fluoride attack.

To date, Ascend’s global efforts to invalidate Samsung SDI’s patent family have been successful, with favorable decisions in China and the US, with actions pending in other jurisdictions.

We are pleased that the board saw the merits of our case against an overly broad and restrictive patent. The board agreed that the scope of the existing patent was too broad and that its claims were invalid in view of earlier well-known additives.

—Dan Burke, Ascend’s intellectual property attorney

Ascend’s Trinohex Ultra is a globally available, non-hazardous electrolyte additive that improves battery life and overall performance, especially in extreme conditions. Independent testing has shown Trinohex Ultra to be effective in reducing harmful gas generation by more than 25% and protecting both current and next-generation lithium-ion battery cathodes from degradation.

Ascend is a fully integrated producer of high-performance polymers, fibers and specialty chemicals used in automotive, electrical and electronic, consumer and industrial products globally.