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At a news conference
today, the Université de Montréal announced three
major projects involving research and commercialization in the area
of electricity production and storage that will place it among the
world leaders in this field. The University has signed an agreement
with the Centre National de Recherche (CNRS) in France to establish
an international research laboratory on electro-active materials,
create the Hydro-Québec Research Chair on Conducting Polymer
and launch a company that will produce a new iron-based electrode.
“We are proud to announce these projects and partnerships,
which confirm that the Université de Montréal makes
a vital contribution to R&D in a cutting-edge sector involving
both economic and environmental stakes,” said Joseph Hubert,
associate dean of research at the faculty of arts and science. Mr. Hubert
also congratulated Michel Armand, a professor at the University’s
chemistry department and a research director at CNRS, and his team
for the excellent quality of their work. “Thanks to Mr. Armand’s
work and the patents derived from it, we now occupy a unique position
in this area and benefit from Hydro-Québec’s support
and interest.”
Agreement
with CNRS of France
For the next four years, Professor Armand’s team will conduct
research on electro-active materials at the CNRS-Université
de Montréal international laboratory. The laboratory will
be located on the Université de Montréal campus, and
CNRS researchers will join its staff for periods ranging from two
to four years.
CNRS, the world’s leading research organization, employs 25,000 people,
including 12,000 researchers. “We are especially proud
to open our first laboratory in Canada here in Quebec,” said
Jean-Claude Bernier, director of the chemistry department at CNRS.
“Our experiences with Princeton University and the University
of Tokyo have been highly rewarding. We have no doubt that our researchers
are joining an outstanding team.”
Hydro-Québec
Chair
The longstanding ties between Hydro-Québec and the CNRS and
the more recent association with the Université de Montréal’s
chemistry department have also resulted in the creation of a Hydro-Québec
Chair on Conducting Polymer. The Chair will receive $450,000 in
annual funding and will be headed by Mr. Armand. For Roger Lanoue,
vice-president, research and strategic planning at Hydro-Québec,
this research chair provides support for the type of projects that
Hydro-Québec has always been interested in.
“The Hydro-Québec-CNRS partnership has already contributed
to the development of a first generation of batteries currently
being commercialized by a company called Avestor. Mr. Armand’s
work is remarkable and has proven itself in the past. We believe
it won’t be long before it brings benefits to Quebec society,
as well as to many other regions around the world that will benefit
from energy that is more easily stored and replenished,” said
Mr. Lanoue.
Iron instead of cobalt
Professor Armand’s team has just patented a new process that
will significantly reduce the cost of producing lithium batteries
such as those used in cell phones and computers as well as in electric
vehicles. The patent is for the preparation of an iron phosphate-based
material that will replace cobalt, a rare and increasingly expensive
metal, in the manufacture of the positive electrode used in lithium
batteries.
The company that will produce the new material has already been
established; it will be known as Phostech Lithium Inc. Michel Gauthier,
a researcher with the University’s chemistry department, is
in charge of this company. Univalor, the Université de Montréal
and the École polytechnique’s technology transfer company,
helps the promoters in their discussions with private investors
to arrange initial financing for Phostech and commercial production
in Canada. The manufacturing process has been set up to produce
samples for potential users, and production could begin in early
2003.
Among Phostech’s main initial customers are companies that
make batteries used in electronics. This includes major Japanese
corporations, which hold 95% of the lithium battery market. “The
rechargeable lithium-ion battery market itself has a value of about
$4 billion. Cobalt electrodes represent one-third of the material
costs: these will be replaced by an iron phosphate-based electrode.
Even if we consider that we could meet only 30% of this demand,
this would still be a sizeable market,” said Mr. Gauthier.
The Université de Montréal is one of Canada’s
leading research universities. Along with its two affiliated schools,
École Polytechnique and École des HEC, it offers undergraduate,
graduate and doctoral programs in all fields of knowledge. It has
a student body of nearly 50,000 and awards some 3,000 master’s
degrees and doctorates each year. It is ranked second among Canadian
research universities for grants and research contracts awarded.
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