Two factors hinder the development of lithium battery materials in China

Lithium Development and Direction Affected by Materials

In recent years, lithium-ion battery technology has become more and more mature. According to its choice of cathode materials, it is divided into three types: lithium manganate, ternary materials and lithium iron phosphate. Among them, the lithium manganate power battery has a high oxidation-reduction heat release stability, and after the charge-discharge point is recycled more than 300 times, the capacity retention rate still reaches over 90%, and it can completely satisfy the use of electric vehicles under high and low temperature conditions. Requirements are the ideal choice and direction of development for various power supplies.

According to data from research reports conducted by high-tech lithium battery, in the first half of 2013, the market scale of China's lithium battery anode and cathode materials, electrolytes, separators and other materials was 6.8 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 13.3%. It is estimated that the market size in 2013 will be 14 billion yuan. The high-tech lithium industry research predicts that by 2015 China's lithium battery material market will reach 18.2 billion yuan.

Lithium capacity material competition affects industry development
In the first half of 2013, the total sales revenue of China's domestic lithium battery core enterprises was 15.2 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 21%. It is estimated that the output value of lithium batteries in China in 2013 will be 32.8 billion yuan. The output value of lithium batteries in China will grow at a faster rate than global growth in the next few years. It is estimated that by 2016 China's domestic lithium battery output value will reach 55.4 billion yuan, accounting for 32% of the global lithium battery market share.

Lithium battery material manufacturers are being squeezed by international material companies on the one hand, and they are also facing disorderly price competition caused by excess capacity. On the other hand, lithium iron phosphate materials are particularly serious, and the capacity utilization rate is only below 10%. The price competition has led directly to the decline in the gross profit rate of material suppliers and the weakening of profitability. In order to reduce production costs, Dachang has continuously expanded its production capacity and exacerbated competition in the industry, thus creating a vicious circle in the industry.

Canada and the United States patented lithium iron phosphate, but Phostech’s patent protection in Europe was rejected. This means that producers of lithium iron phosphate outside of Canada and the United States will face the risk of claims if they do not obtain patent authorization from Phostech.

Solve the development of bottle diameter lithium or have a good opportunity

How to develop lithium, how to make breakthroughs in materials, lithium titanate materials in the anode material, etc., the domestic research is also effective, improve the specific energy of the battery and reduce costs. Not only is the material safe, the service life is long, and the charge-discharge ratio is high, but there is also the problem of foreign patent protection.

At the 10th China International Battery Products and Raw Materials and Accessories, Machinery and Equipment Exhibition Fair, technical personnel of a domestic battery company once told the media that the company’s iron battery was added with cobalt in the lithium iron phosphate. The full name should be iron phosphate lithium cobalt battery, which not only circumvented the patent of lithium iron phosphate battery, but also improved the performance of lithium-ion batteries. In this regard, there are industry authorities believe that the addition of other elements in the lithium iron phosphate can indeed avoid patents, but the material properties will only decline will not increase.

In order to evade the patents of Phostech, some local companies claimed that changing the formula and production process of lithium iron phosphate is a bottleneck not only in the foreign patent protection of lithium iron phosphate, but also in other material routes. Lithium manganate materials have a long life. The domestic industry has improved the high-temperature stability performance by doping other materials and improving production processes. For example, a large company claims that the manganese battery-based electric bicycle battery developed by the company uses the modified lithium manganate material to optimize the ratio of the electrolyte and greatly improves the high temperature performance and storage performance of the lithium manganate material. The high temperature cycle life is improved by nearly 50% compared to the common lithium manganate material. However, current technology and equipment are in the hands of Japan.

Lithium batteries have indeed ushered in a full range of development opportunities, but we must uphold a positive and prudent attitude, seek a stable development, and avoid the kind of leapfrog impetuous and false. Lithium battery materials have high patent barriers, and the development of China's lithium battery industry also needs to undergo technological research and development and experience accumulation, and on this basis be improved to achieve product maturity and stability. So the development of lithium batteries will usher in the development of the spring.