INNOVATION BRAZIL MAY HAVE REINVENTED THE BATTERY USING THE METAL THE WHOLE WORLD IS COMPETING FOR

While the world races after Lithium, Brazil has just proven that the next frontier of energy storage may carry a Bazilian accent. USP (Sao Paulo State University) has developed a functional, rechargeable Niobium battery with 3 volts that operates outside the laboratory and, most importantly, the prototype has already entered real industrial testing.

This is not an academic paper. It is technology headed for market.

The research is led by Professor Frank Crespilho from the São Carlos Institute of Chemistry and solves a problem that for decades hindered the use of Niobium in batteries: the degradation of the metal in electrochemical environments, especially in the presence of water and oxygen.

That barrier has fallen.

The solution did not come from industry. It came from nature.

The breakthrough was inspired by an unexpected source: biological processes. Crespilho created an intelligent protection system called NB-RAM (Niobium Redox Active Medium), capable of controlling the chemical environment of the battery and allowing Niobium to alternate its electronic states without degrading.

This is exactly what happens in enzymes and metalloproteins in the human body — highly reactive metals operating for billions of years without collapsing.

Science copied what nature had already solved.

Much of the technological refinement was carried out by researcher Luana Italiano, who spent two years fine-tuning the project’s most delicate balance: protecting the Niobium without sacrificing electrical performance. Too much protection blocks energy. Too little destroys the battery.

The balance point was found.

FROM THE LABORATORY TO THE INDUSTRIAL STANDARD

The technology has already been patented by USP and tested in standard industrial formats, such as coin and pouch cells, in partnership with researchers from Unicamp (University of Campinas). The tests demonstrated stability and multiple charge–discharge cycles — exactly what the market demands.

The 3-volt output places the Niobium battery on the same level as current commercial solutions, opening real space to compete with dominant technologies.

Not surprisingly, Chinese companies in the battery sector have already shown interest.

THE GEOPOLITICAL GAME BEHIND NIOBIUM

This advance carries strategic weight. Brazil holds about 98% of the world’s Niobium reserves and accounts for 90% of global production. Until now, this has meant exporting raw materials.

This battery changes the narrative.

It opens the possibility for Brazil to move from being a supplier to becoming a creator of critical technology for the energy transition.

“We don’t need to just export resources. We can lead technologies”, Crespilho summarizes — but with one clear condition: science must be treated as a national priority.

The researchers now advocate the creation of a multimodal innovation center, bringing together government, universities, and startups to scale the technology and take it to market.

Source: Bruno Lois, writer for StartSe