R&D Capabilities

Our Customized R&D workflow begins with rigorous diagnosis of battery failure mechanisms, enabling formulation decisions to be anchored in root-cause understanding rather than empirical trial-and-error alone. Building on this foundation, our theoretical and computational teams apply AI-enabled methods to electrolyte material structure design, formulation design, and interfacial chemistry research, accelerating hypothesis generation and narrowing the experimental search space. In addition, we integrate AI-driven computation with high-quality experimental outputs to build a structure–performance database that maps electrolyte compositions to battery performance, enabling data-informed formulation optimization and faster translation from design intent to validated performance. In parallel, our synthesis group develops proprietary new molecules and functional materials through in-house synthetic capabilities, ensuring that innovation is not limited to incremental blending of existing components but extends to the creation of new chemical toolkits.

Innovation at Smoothway is executed through a closed-loop system spanning formulation, validation, and scale-up. Candidate electrolytes are formulated and evaluated within our institute using comprehensive electrochemical testing, enabling rapid iteration from concept to performance verification. Successful proprietary materials are subsequently advanced through pilot production and commercialization pathways, supported by process development to ensure consistent quality and robust scale-up. Throughout this pipeline, we continuously refine electrolyte formulations, optimize additive synthesis routes, and improve production efficiency—aligning cutting-edge chemistry with the practical demands of large-scale manufacturing.

Under this integrated R&D logic, Smoothway has synthesized 364 proprietary new materials to date, including 52 patented materials and 19 that have progressed to pilot-scale production, while holding more than 100 patents related to battery electrolytes. Leveraging this proprietary materials portfolio and strong formulation-optimization capabilities, we have delivered over 4,000 customized electrolyte formulations tailored to customer-specific performance requirements. Our innovation has also been recognized by leading cell manufacturers, including the CATL Annual Technology Innovation Award and the EVE Energy Annual Joint Innovation Award—affirming Smoothway’s R&D strength and the value of our collaborative, customer-oriented development model.