Battery Manufacturers Refining Anode Materials for EV Batteries

Secondary battery manufacturers are trying to improve the performance of their anode materials for use in electric vehicle batteries. The material constitutes the four key components of a lithium-ion battery with its cathode material, separator and electrolyte.

The cathode material determines the driving range per charge while the anode material determines how fast the vehicle can be charged. At present, graphite-based anode materials are in wide use and the companies are trying to raise the silicon ratio. The vehicle can be charged faster as the ratio increases. However, techniques for stabilization are required in order to prevent the swelling that occurs as the ratio increases. The companies have succeeded in increasing the ratio to approximately 5 percent to 10 percent.

In South Korea, LG Energy Solution and Samsung SDI are producing batteries using a silicon-added anode material. “With this technique, a battery can be charged by up to 80 percent in just 20 minutes,” LG Energy Solution explained. POSCO Chemical, which produced the first anode material in South Korea, is planning to enter the silicon anode material market once it begins to expand. POSCO Chemical currently accounts for 11 percent of the global battery anode material market.