[technology] experts develop new electrolyte: greatly improve the performance of lithium metal batteries

On June 22, according to foreign media reports, researchers at Stanford University in the United States published a new study in natureenergy, showing how a new battery electrolyte technology can improve the performance of lithium metal batteries.

Researchers said that electrolyte is the key problem to prevent the growth of lithium dendrites, so we want to use organic chemistry to reasonably design and manufacture new and stable electrolytes for these batteries.

In the research, researchers added fluorine atoms to the commercial ordinary electrolyte, and used its ability to attract electrons to create a new molecule, so that the lithium metal anode can play a good role in the electrolyte. The result is a new synthetic compound, fdmb for short. Fluorine is a widely used element in lithium battery electrolytes, so fdmb can be made in large quantities and is very cheap.

Subsequently, the researchers tested the new electrolyte in lithium metal batteries. The results showed that after 420 charge and discharge cycles, the experimental battery still maintained 90% of its initial charge. Previously, ordinary lithium metal batteries could not be used after about 30 cycles of discharge. (source: fast technology)

[technology] Shenzhen Advanced Research Institute has developed high energy density double ion battery based on high concentration electrolyte strategy

Recently, Tang Yongbing, a researcher at the functional thin film materials research center of the integration Institute of Shenzhen Institute of advanced technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and his research team, in conjunction with Zhou Zhiming, a professor at Chongqing University of technology, have significantly improved the energy density and cycle stability of dual ion batteries by using a high concentration electrolyte strategy. Relevant research results are published online in the internationally renowned chemical journal "German Applied Chemistry" (angew. chem. int. ed., 2020, doi: 10.1002/anie.202006595, if:12.257) under the title of highly concentrated electrolyte towards enhanced energy intensity and cycling life of dual ion battery.

Compared with traditional lithium-ion batteries, double ion batteries (DIB) have the advantages of high voltage, low cost and environmental friendliness, and have broad application prospects in the field of large-scale energy storage. As the source of active ions, electrolyte has a decisive influence on the electrochemical properties of DIB, including capacity, cycle life, energy density and so on. However, the concentration of electrolyte system of traditional double ion battery is limited, resulting in a large proportion of electrolyte volume / mass, which limits the further improvement of DIB energy density. In addition, the oxidation-reduction stability of low concentration electrolyte is insufficient, which leads to the unsatisfactory cycle stability of the battery.

In view of this, Tang Yongbing and his team members successfully developed a lifs/ec:dmc electrolyte system with a high concentration of 7.5 m after investigating the matching behavior of different solvents and electrolyte salts. Compared with the low concentration system, the high concentration electrolyte shows obvious advantages, and the intercalation capacity and cycle stability of anion intercalated graphite cathode have been significantly improved; The structure stability of aluminum foil anode in the process of charge and discharge is improved; Significantly improve the energy density of the battery. Based on the above high concentration electrolyte, as a proof of concept, the double ion battery at 200 Ma G^-1The discharge capacity is 94.0 MAH g at the current density of^-1； After 500 cycles, the capacity retention rate reached 96.8%. In addition, considering the electrode material and electrolyte quality at the same time, the DIB energy density reaches ~180 wh kg^-1。 This work has important guiding significance for the further development of high-efficiency and low-cost dual ion batteries. (source: website of Chinese Academy of Sciences)

[company] xinzhoubang: the upstream material layout is expected to bring more returns

New Zeus electrolyte business broke through overseas customers earlier, maintained continuous expansion of production capacity, and actively expanded the layout of upstream materials, which will continue to grow in the future. The fluorine chemical business has broken through the core process, and the downstream application has extended from pharmaceutical intermediates to many emerging fields. At the same time, with the expansion of haidefu production, the vertical integration layout of the company's product chain is more perfect. Haidefu and haisifu may further play a synergistic effect, and the company's organic fluorine chemical business is expected to maintain a high profit level. The capacitor electrolyte business that the company started has developed steadily in recent years, and the newly cultivated semiconductor chemical business is increasing investment, which is expected to produce better profit returns in the future.

The electrolyte business continues to grow, and the upstream layout is expected to bring more returns. The production process of electrolyte is relatively short, and the production differentiation of product performance and profitability is mainly reflected in the layout of upstream materials. In 2014, xinzhoubang acquired hankang chemical, which is highly competitive in the field of traditional additives such as FEC and VC, and began to deploy solvents, new lithium salts and new additives in the past two years. The electrolyte business of the company broke through overseas major customers earlier, and the market share remained the second. In the future, the demand growth of major customers at home and abroad, the continuous development of new customers, and the layout of upstream materials, it is expected that the electrolyte business will continue to grow.

The profitability of organic fluorine chemical business is strong, and the product chain layout is more perfect. Haisifu, acquired by new Zebang in 2015, broke through the industrial production of hexafluoropropylene oxide earlier, and is one of the few enterprises in China that can mass produce fluorine-containing fine chemicals downstream of hexafluoropropylene. The business has expanded from the initial anesthetic intermediates to aerospace, fuel cell proton exchange membrane, semiconductor and other fields. At the same time, through the expansion project of haidefu, the company further broadens the depth of the organic fluorine material industry chain, focuses on fluoropolymers and fine chemicals downstream of tetrafluoroethylene and hexafluoropropylene, and ensures the supply of raw materials. Through the extension of haidefu and the continuous optimization of product and customer structure, the fluorine chemical business of the company is expected to maintain a high profit return and will continue to grow. (source: China Merchants Securities)

【Think tank circle】Electrolyte price reduction slows down

Tianfeng securities recently released a research report that the decline in electrolyte prices gradually narrowed and the prices tended to stabilize. CR3 concentration continues to increase, from only 33% in 2017q1 to 66% in 2020q1.

According to the data released by SMM, last week, the price of SMM electrolyte (for ternary power) was 35000-45000 yuan / ton, the price of SMM electrolyte (for lithium iron phosphate) was 30000-35000 yuan / ton, the price of SMM electrolyte (for lithium cobalt oxide) was 50000-60000 yuan / ton, and the price of SMM electrolyte (for lithium manganate) was 15000-25000 yuan / ton, both of which were flat compared with last week.

Article source:Battery net