AMERICAN ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES CO. ACQUIRES SKYNANO IP AND KEY ASSETS, ADVANCING DOMESTIC CARBON MATERIALS MANUFACTURING
- AETC News
- May 31
- 4 min read
American Energy Technologies Co. (AETC) is proud to announce the acquisition of the intellectual property and key equipment assets of SkyNano Technologies, a Knoxville, Tennessee-based advanced materials company specializing in the conversion of CO2Â into high-value carbon materials. This acquisition deepens AETC's domestic carbon materials capabilities and positions the company for continued growth across synthetic diamond production, lithium-ion battery materials, and battery recycling markets. SkyNano's equipment assets have already been successfully transferred to AETC's industrial graphite and carbon facility in Wheeling, IL.
AETC's relationship with SkyNano spans nearly five years of active technical collaboration — collaboration that expanded both organizations' capabilities and shaped the strategic direction of this acquisition. Dr. Mayya Barsukov, President and CEO of AETC, reflected on what the acquisition means in the context of the company's founding mission:
"When AETC was founded in 2009, we did so with a clear belief that the United States needed domestically anchored, commercially viable supply chains for the advanced graphite and carbon materials that underpin our most critical industries — from defense, aerospace, and quantum computing to next-generation energy storage systems. That mission has guided every decision we have made as a company, and it is the lens through which we view this acquisition. SkyNano's technology, and the years of rigorous science and engineering behind it, fits squarely within that conviction. We have watched this team build something genuinely remarkable, and we are proud to be the organization that carries it forward. The addition of SkyNano's IP and capabilities strengthens AETC's position as a domestic leader in advanced graphite and carbon materials — and brings us meaningfully closer to the vertically integrated, end-to-end production capability we have been building toward since the beginning."
Anna Doninger, AETC's Manager of Government Relations, added detail on the technical collaboration that led to this moment:
"AETC started working with SkyNano in 2021 when, for the first time ever, CO2-derived multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) were successfully applied as a catalyst in the industrial synthesis of synthetic diamonds using AETC’s in-house HPHT technology. SkyNano's MWCNTs shifted the yield of synthesized diamonds in the reactor to nearly 55 wt.%, while the industry benchmark sits at 45–48 wt.% — a shift large enough to justify domestic production of synthetic diamonds across a range of markets, from cutting tools and lapping compounds used in metalworking, to thermally conductive dielectric pastes for battery thermal management, to diamond semiconductors for quantum computing. In 2025-26, AETC worked with SkyNano and battery company Eonix on a high-profile U.S. Air Force project that generated fully viable CO2-derived domestic synthetic graphite for use in lithium-ion battery anodes. Most recently, AETC — working with technology partners from Europe under the EU Horizon Program initiatives STREAMS and SAFELOOP — launched a unique Direct Recycling technology at its Wheeling, IL facility focused on the recovery, healing, and full reuse of lithium-ion batteries, which also recovers valuable by-products including lithium carbonate, a precursor to SkyNano's original process. All of the above forms a solid commercial basis for synergy with SkyNano's technology and assets. We look forward to seeing continued growth and integration of SkyNano's technology into the product formulations for the markets we proudly serve."
Dr. Anna Douglas, co-founder and CEO of SkyNano Technologies, added:
"From our first conversation at an industry panel in 2021, it was clear that AETC and SkyNano were building toward something complementary. Both organizations share a deep faith that the United States needs robust, domestically anchored supply chains for advanced carbon materials — not just for commercial competitiveness, but for the defense and national security applications that depend on them. What followed that first meeting was one of the most meaningful technical collaborations of my career, one that expanded what we believed was possible with CO2-derived carbon materials and ultimately shaped SkyNano's strategic direction. AETC brings the manufacturing infrastructure, skilled workforce, the customer relationships, and the multi-market expertise to carry this technology into its next chapter — across battery materials, synthetic diamonds, defense applications, and beyond. I'm proud of what our team built, and I'm proud that it's landing here. This is the right home for it."
About American Energy Technologies Co. American Energy Technologies Co. (AETC) is a woman-owned, privately held business which conducts operations out of the greater Chicago area. Founded in 2009 by battery and materials science experts, AETC operates three business units from its Wheeling, IL facility: a manufacturing plant producing battery-ready graphite and carbon materials, a pilot demonstration facility for battery materials and graphite dispersions, and a Technology Center, outfitted with fully functional research and development laboratories that support the operation of the product and pilot business units. AETC is an internationally recognized technological expert specializing in industrial graphite, carbons, specialty coatings, and advanced battery systems, and actively partners with industry leaders, research institutions, and government agencies to advance next-generation carbon materials. For more information, visit usaenergytech.com.
About SkyNano SkyNano is a science-based technology company focused on commercializing a free-market solution to carbon pollution. It specifically develops a novel electrochemical manufacturing technology for the capture and conversion of CO2 from various sources — atmospheric, concentrated, and flue gas — into valuable carbon-based materials, including its flagship products: carbon nanotubes and battery-grade synthetic graphite precursors. SkyNano's technology has been featured in peer-reviewed scientific publications and has earned a 2020 R&D 100 Award and a 2021 TechConnect Innovation Award, among others. Co-founder and CEO Dr. Anna Douglas was recognized on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list in 2019; co-founder Prof. Cary Pint received the same recognition in the inaugural year of the awards. To learn more, visit skynano.co.
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