Next-gen graphene battery development advances under exclusive license deal with the University of Queensland.

With a newly granted patent securing its foundational technology, Australia-based Graphene Manufacturing Group (GMG) Ltd. has strengthened its partnership with the University of Queensland to accelerate development of its next-generation graphene aluminum-ion battery.

Formally launched in 2021 under the Australian Research Council Linkage Program, a multi-year collaboration between GMG and the University of Queensland was established to pursue a novel battery chemistry that paired aluminum with the company’s proprietary low-contaminant graphene.

By late 2023, the company had produced its first working pouch cell – a 500 milliampere-hour prototype that paired a graphene-coated cathode with an aluminum foil anode, delivering roughly one-sixth the capacity of a typical smartphone battery.

That early success laid the groundwork for further performance gains, and by early 2024, GMG had doubled the storage capacity of its pouch cells to 1,000 milliampere-hours.

To support continued development, GMG entered into a service contract with the Battery Innovation Center in Indiana in early 2025, which followed the mutual termination of a conditionally funded plan to build an automated pilot plant at its Queensland headquarters.

Following these developments, GMG and the University of Queensland have entered into a new collaborative research agreement to advance the next phase of battery co-development.

Backed by a newly granted Australian patent held by the University of Queensland and licensed exclusively to GMG for global commercialization, the agreement formalizes a framework for continued joint development, allowing pre-approved personnel from both parties to work across each other’s facilities and granting GMG the first right to negotiate for any future IP stemming from the research.

“We look forward to continuing our strong research and development relationship with the world-leading clean technology company GMG and deepening our knowledge on the graphene aluminium ion battery technology,” said Alan Rowan, executive director of the Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (AIBN) at the University of Queensland.

Additionally, under the renewed agreement, AIBN will receive A$880,000 ($576,350) in federal research funding to support its ongoing work with GMG, reinforcing the shared commitment to advance the graphene aluminum-ion battery toward commercial viability.

“GMG is very pleased to continue working with the world-leading UQ AIBN team and collaborating with them to co-develop our next-generation graphene aluminium ion battery,” said Graphene Manufacturing Group CEO Craig Nicol.