ISU Specialty Chemical and Ares Materials Partner to Develop Polymer Materials for Solid-State Batteries

PLANO, Texas and SEOUL, South Korea, Nov. 3, 2026 /CourierPR/ -- ISU Specialty Chemical, a member of Korea's ISU Group, has partnered with Ares Materials to develop polymer materials for solid-state batteries. This collaboration aims to leverage the strengths of both companies to accelerate the commercialization of advanced battery materials. ISU Specialty Chemical, founded in 1969, is a leading producer of molecular-weight regulators, including TDM, NOM, and NDM. The company recently completed a commercial lithium sulfide plant, positioning itself in the solid-state battery supply chain. ISU Group, with combined 2025 revenue of more than ₩3 trillion (about US$2.2 billion), has a strong presence in the industry.

Ares Materials, based in Plano, Texas, and Guadalajara, Mexico, specializes in developing polymers and the closed-loop AI infrastructure used to formulate them. The company has been selected for the Apple Impact Accelerator and the Amazon Climate Tech Accelerator, highlighting its commitment to innovation and sustainability. Under the agreement, Ares will develop the polymer formulations and the AI framework used to optimize them. ISU Specialty Chemical will contribute its specialty-chemical and lithium sulfide manufacturing expertise, leading production and commercial supply.

The partnership aims to address the challenges of developing and commercializing better materials with fewer iterations and less time. Developing polymers for solid-state cells typically requires building and cycling test cells for each change to a formulation. Battery makers have cited the length of this cycle and the difficulty of attributing results to specific ingredients or process steps as constraints on commercialization timelines. Cell specifications continue to change as the technology matures, often requiring requalification of materials when targets shift.

The partnership leverages ISU Specialty Chemical's established specialty-chemical manufacturing expertise and Ares Materials' advanced AI tools.

The companies said the performance data and models generated in developing the first material will carry forward into the next generations of the product, so that each one starts from an existing performance model rather than from scratch. This approach is expected to significantly reduce the time and resources required for material development and commercialization.