China is already the world’s largest lithium-ion battery manufacturer and, by 2020, the country will have increased its annual battery production capacity six-fold, producing more than 60% of the world’s Li-ion batteries. There is a strong demand to reduce the overall cost of these batteries and this drives the building of ‘gigafactories’ as well as the continuing innovation in terms of the energy density of Li-ion cells. Recent research has demonstrated that incorporating single wall carbon nanotubes into the anode and cathode structures can increase energy density by 10%.
Hongkong Haiyi Enterprise, one of the largest suppliers of speciality chemicals for Chinese battery makers, and OCSiAl, the world’s largest manufacturer of single wall carbon nanotubes, have partnered together to produce and market an innovative nanotube-formulated solution for battery applications in China. TUBALL BATT nanotube dispersions will be produced by Haiyi according to the technology and know-how developed by OCSiAl. These nanotube dispersions have already been tested by a number of the world's leading battery manufacturers in China, with extremely promising results.
“As little as 0.05% of TUBALL can replace several percent of carbon black, providing striking results in increasing energy density of the battery. The nanotubes reinforce the electrode structure and improve mechanical stability during cycling, reducing the amount of binder required”, said Loyes Zhi, Managing Director of OCSiAl China. “TUBALL BATT greatly simplifies the handling of nanotubes and features a superb balance of high performance, processability and cost-efficiency.”
Haiyi is a highly successful Chinese enterprise known for its relentless search for new technologies and reliability, earning the trust of many large Chinese battery manufacturers. “The superiority of TUBALL to conventional additives in battery applications is obvious, which is why so many battery manufacturers are testing it or already applying it in their production processes. Haiyi is always on the lookout for the most innovative materials for batteries. Our partnership with OCSiAl will take the Chinese Li-ion battery market to the next level”, said Shelly Lu, Hongkong Haiyi Enterprise Marketing Director.
OCSiAl has a history of success with TUBALL-based industrial solutions for batteries in the Chinese market. In December 2016, TUBALL BATT was recognised as the most innovative material for battery applications by the leading Chinese Battery Research Institute, GGLB. Manufacturers and industry experts cast their vote for OCSiAl’s technology for introducing single wall carbon nanotubes into electrode formulations that outperformed traditional analogues in energy density and cycle life (Si-anode) in Li-ion batteries.