# Ionic Mineral Technologies (Ionic MT) **Type:** venture **Status:** Draft **Confidence:** Medium **Focus:** battery anode materials, nano-silicon, halloysite clay, critical minerals, EV battery supply chain **Stage:** Private; Series B ($29M, oversubscribed, July 2025) **Location:** Provo, UT **Updated:** 2026-06-19 **Domain:** energy, materials-mfg **Region:** Juab County, UT (Silicon Ridge / Halloysite Hills deposits); Provo, UT (HQ) **Needs-reviewed:** 2026-06-19 **Hero:** https://picsum.photos/seed/ionic-mt-manufacturing-2026/1600/1100 **Pull:** *Utah's halloysite clay deposits hold a domestic answer to the EV battery anode problem — nano-silicon from a natural nanostructured mineral, no complex synthesis required.* **Relates:** cites [Official Website: Ionic MT](ionic-mt-official-website.md) ## Summary Ionic Mineral Technologies (Ionic MT) is a Provo, Utah company founded around 2020 that processes halloysite clay — a naturally occurring tubular clay mineral — into nano-silicon anode material for lithium-ion batteries. The company's core claim is that halloysite's natural nanostructure provides the void space silicon needs to expand during charging cycles, making it more cycle-stable than synthetic silicon anode approaches without requiring expensive chemical engineering. The company closed a $29M oversubscribed Series B in July 2025. Ionic MT is relevant to this wiki because of its geographic material advantage: the largest known high-purity halloysite deposits in the United States are in Juab County, Utah. Ionic MT has leased 4,000+ acres (Silicon Ridge) and owns a 550-acre deposit (Halloysite Hills, 2.4M tons of reserves). A competitor seeking to replicate this material position would need to find equivalent geology. ## Impact The graphite anode in virtually every lithium-ion battery today is sourced predominantly from China. Silicon has roughly 8x the theoretical charge-storage capacity of graphite and would enable longer-range EVs, faster charging, and smaller or lighter batteries across every application. Ionic MT's Ionisil nano-silicon is positioned as a drop-in anode material that battery manufacturers can blend with graphite; at 15% silicon loading, the company claims doubling of anode capacity. The supply chain impact case: if Ionic MT succeeds at scale, it shifts a piece of the EV battery supply chain from China-dependent graphite to a US-domestic silicon source. This is directly relevant to defense procurement priorities and domestic manufacturing policy objectives. Three co-products from a single halloysite feedstock reduce the production economics risk: Ionisil nano-silicon (energy storage), IonAL high-purity alumina (battery separators, ceramics), and rare earth and critical technology metals recently discovered at Silicon Ridge. ## What They Are Building Ionic MT is building a vertically integrated operation spanning geology, mining, materials processing, and anode material supply. The technical work centers on converting raw halloysite clay into battery-grade nano-silicon through a process that leverages the mineral's natural tubular nanostructure rather than requiring synthetic nanoengineering. Scaling production from lab to 1,000+ metric tons annually while maintaining consistent anode-grade quality is the unsolved manufacturing problem the Series B is funding. ## What They Need Now Process engineers and electrochemists comfortable working across mining, materials processing, and battery cell development. Supply chain and business development people who understand automotive and defense procurement qualification cycles. The company spans geology, chemistry, and advanced manufacturing — unusual vertical integration that suits engineers who can operate across all three domains. ## Who Could Help Battery cell OEM qualification engineers who can run Ionisil against graphite benchmarks in real cell formats; automotive supply chain procurement contacts who understand anode qualification timelines; DOE critical materials program managers; and investors experienced with mining-to-materials vertical integration. ## Utah Context Juab County, Utah holds Ionic MT's key mineral deposits — a geographic asset that no amount of capital can replicate elsewhere. The Provo headquarters places the company in Utah County's engineering and technology cluster, with access to Brigham Young University and regional manufacturing talent. Utah's role in the critical minerals supply chain is growing: halloysite, lithium (from geothermal brines and hard rock deposits), and rare earth co-products from various mining operations collectively make Utah a potential node in domestic battery supply chains being reorganized in response to China trade policy. ## Evidence - [Official Website: Ionic MT](ionic-mt-official-website.md) ## See Also - [ACT Aerospace](act-aerospace.md) — another Utah supplier at the materials-to-application interface, in aerospace rather than energy. ## Open Questions - What is the current production capacity and customer qualification status of Ionisil nano-silicon with any battery cell manufacturer? - How has the rare earth discovery at Silicon Ridge been characterized geologically, and what is the timeline toward potential rare earth extraction? - Who are the Series B investors, and what is their thesis — domestic supply chain, EV battery, or critical minerals? - Has the 15% silicon loading / 2x anode capacity claim been independently validated in pouch or cylindrical cell formats at commercial scale? - What is the environmental permitting status at Silicon Ridge and Halloysite Hills? - The placeholder hero should be replaced with a cleared mineral processing or battery materials image when rights are confirmed.