Mr. Spencer Huh reports

NEO BATTERY PARTNERS WITH KOREA ZINC AND TAESUNG TO COMMERCIALIZE ADVANCED BATTERY TECHNOLOGY FOR DRONE, ROBOTICS & MICROMOBILITY

NBM Korea Co., Neo Battery Materials Ltd.'s subsidiary, has partnered with Korea Zinc Co. Ltd., one of the world's largest non-ferrous metal smelters and refiners, and Taesung Co. Ltd., an advanced equipment technology manufacturer for non-ferrous metals, to accelerate the development and commercialization of composite copper current-collector (foil) technology for high-performance batteries in drone, robotics and micromobility applications.

The technology partnership focuses on optimizing critical lithium-ion battery performance parameters specific to drones, robotics and micromobility. Composite copper foils provide weight reduction, cost-efficiency and enhanced safety performance compared with conventional, widely deployed all-copper foils. The composite structure replaces the central copper layer with polymer materials, reducing overall copper usage and battery weight. This material innovation further improves energy density, enabling longer operating times for the targeted applications.

Copper foil is an integral component within lithium-ion batteries, serving as the sole current collector for anode materials. Composite copper foils interact synergistically with high-capacity silicon anode materials, improving overall energy density and cycle life by mitigating mechanical strain during battery operation. The company believes this innovation will directly complement Neo's silicon anode product, NBMSiDE, in the manufacturing of energy-dense batteries for drones and robotics.

Under a memorandum of understanding (MOU), Korea Zinc, Taesung and Neo intend to accelerate the commercialization of composite copper foil technology by leveraging each party's technical expertise across battery materials, cell manufacturing, and system integration and validation. Joint research and development activities are expected to include:

• Optimization and validation of composite copper foil material performance;
• Manufacturing and process optimization and performance evaluation of bench-scale battery cell prototypes incorporating composite copper foil technology;
• Manufacturing of system-level battery prototypes for field demonstration and validation.

In the initial phase, Korea Zinc and Taesung will lead the development and optimization of composite copper foil materials and Neo will manufacture and evaluate the copper foils in bench-scale battery cell prototypes. Upon achieving targeted performance milestones, Korea Zinc and Neo plan to jointly produce battery prototypes for drone, robotics and micromobility integration and conduct testing in live operating environments.

A Korea Zinc spokesperson stated: "Successful production and demonstration of drone and micromobility batteries integrated with composite copper foils by the end of this year would mark the first such achievement within the Korean battery industry. This would be a significant milestone in diversifying our battery materials portfolio and in pro-actively securing the technological capabilities necessary to address evolving market dynamics."

"Based on the outcomes of this MOU, all parties expect to secure a competitive position within the global composite copper foil market," expressed Dr. J.S. Jeoung, senior vice-president of cell development and commercialization. "By combining Korea Zinc's global upstream materials expertise with Taesung's specialized equipment technology, Neo views this strategic partnership as a meaningful advancement toward delivering a differentiated value proposition and expanding its customized solution pipeline within the global drone and robotics markets."

About Neo Battery Materials Ltd .

Neo Battery Materials is a Canadian battery technology company focused on developing and producing silicon-enhanced lithium-ion batteries in drones, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), robotics, unmanned systems, electronics, electric vehicles and energy storage systems for AI (artificial intelligence) data centres. With a patent-protected, low-cost manufacturing process, Neo Battery enables longer-running and ultrafast-charging batteries and provides end-to-end battery solutions from materials selection, cell architecture and process optimization. The company aims to be a globally leading producer of high-performance lithium-ion battery components and materials, building a secure, robust battery supply chain in North America.

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