The US DOE awarded battery technology provider Solidion a grant to scale key material production for advanced molten salt nuclear reactors.
The US Department of Energy has awarded Dallas-based battery technology provider, Solidion Technology Inc., a grant to scale up the production of a key material for advanced molten salt nuclear reactor s.
The company’s carbon-nanosphere production will allow it to provide the material as an anti-corrosive additive for molten-salt-based heat transfer fluids in next-generation nuclear reactors. The new development sees Solidion expand its footprint into nuclear energy research, having previously focused on advanced battery solutions.Mitigating corrosion and improving thermal performanceThe new project, conducted in collaboration with Oak Ridge National Laboratory , focuses on developing nanofluids. This is an engineered colloidal suspension of hollow carbon nanoparticles in conventional molten salts.The project aims to use nanofluids to significantly enhance heat transfer efficiency while reducing corrosion. This will address key challenges associated with advanced molten salt reactors and small modular reactors . By mitigating corrosion and improving thermal performance, the technology could lower operational costs, boost safety, and accelerate the commercialization of these cleaner, more efficient nuclear systems.The new DOE contract is Solidion’s second in recent months. The company previously received funding from the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy , for the electrochemical manufacturing of high-performance graphite from biomass-derived carbon.In a press statement, Jaymes Winters, Solidion’s Chief Executive Officer, emphasized the significance of the new award: “Consecutive awards from the Department of Energy is proof positive that Solidion is not only innovative in energy storage, but energy processes, liquids and materials as well,” he said.Expanding beyond batteriesSolidion, headquartered in Dallas with pilot production in Dayton, Ohio, has traditionally specialized in next-generation battery materials and components. The company holds over 525 patents in areas like graphene-enabled silicon anodes, biomass-based graphite, and lithium-sulfur technologies.The company’s core applications include energy storage for AI data centers and electric vehicles across ground, air, and sea transport.The new grant will help Solidion expand beyond batteries into broader energy materials. This will help it align with US efforts to advance low-carbon nuclear technologies. The exact grant amount was not disclosed.Molten salt reactors are advanced nuclear reactors that use liquid molten fluoride or chloride salts as a coolant. They use liquid fuel salts instead of solid rods, enabling higher temperatures, better efficiency, and improved intrinsic safety.They could potentially use abundant thorium as a fuel. These advanced reactors are expected to be safer than traditional uranium nuclear reactors, in part because the molten salt mixture has a high melting point. In the event of a leak, the salt would cool and solidify relatively quickly upon exposure to open air, trapping most radioactive materials within the solidified mass and theoretically resulting in less radiation contamination to the surrounding environment.Earlier this month, US researchers at Idaho National Laboratory announced they had produced the first full-scale batch of enriched fuel salt for the world’s first fast-spectrum, salt-fueled reactor test.
Molten Salt Nuclear Reactor Nanofluids Nuclear Energy Oak Ridge National Laboratory Solidion Technology US Department Of Energy
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