【Honggong Technology Annual Inventory】Silicon Anode Industrialization "Tracking"

summary

Sales of silicon anode materials will really start in 2023; by 2025, global demand for silicon anode materials is expected to grow at a COMPOUND annual growth rate of 70%.

The industrialization process of silicon anode has been accelerated.

Since 2021, the participation of silicon-based anodes in car companies has increased significantly, and the pace of technological development has begun to accelerate, including Weilai, Zhiji and GAC Aean all mentioned silicon anodes in battery technology, and Guoxuan 210Wh/Kg LFP batteries have also successfully applied silicon anodes for the first time.

On the demand side, the data shows that China's silicon carbon anode shipments in 2020 will be 0.9 million tons, accounting for about 2% of all anode material shipments.

On the supply side, the domestic silicon anode field has begun to gradually expand, and there are mainly these categories:

One is the existing graphite anode enterprises, such as Putailai, Shanshan, Zhengtuo Energy, Snow, BTR, Zhongke Electric, Xiangfenghua, etc.; the second is the founding team of scientific research institutions, such as Tianmu Pioneer, Yijin New Energy, etc.; the third is battery companies, such as Ningde Times, Guoxuan Hi-Tech, Lishen, Xingheng, etc.; the fourth is the cross-border or silicon material enterprises of chemical enterprises, such as Shi Dashenghua, Xinan Shares, Silicon Treasure Technology, etc.

On the application side, GAC Aion LX has been selected into the 10th batch of new energy vehicle recommendation catalogues of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, using sponge silicon anode chip battery technology, NEDC endurance of up to 1008km. In addition, including Weilai and Zhiji cars, silicon anodes are mentioned in battery technology.

On the battery side, Guoxuan Hi-Tech has a production capacity of 5,000 tons of silicon carbon anode materials while successfully applying silicon anodes; Xingheng Power also plans to gradually introduce new technologies including nano-silicon carbon anodes on the basis of existing lithium manganate materials and battery technologies.

Samsung SDI will launch a second-generation 7% silicon-based silicon-based anode in 2021 and expects to release a third-generation silicon-based 10% cell in 2024.

The promotion of 4680 batteries is also expected to accelerate the further penetration of silicon carbon anodes. Tesla previously acquired U.S. battery startup SiILion, one of the latter's most important patents, "large cell anodes containing silicon particles," which has now been transferred to Tesla's name.

Looking back at 2021, a number of companies have also disclosed the progress of their respective silicon anodes:

Putailai said that the company's silicon negative pole was the first to cooperate with the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Jiangxi Zichen plant to establish a pilot workshop, and the second generation of product research and development has been completed; and a pilot line of silicon oxide has also been established in Liyang. The industrialization of the company's second-generation silicon-based products has basic conditions, and the supply capacity will be gradually increased according to market needs.

Shanshan shares said that at present, silicon-based anode products have been applied to the 3C field in batches. It has mastered the core technology of batch synthesis of precursors of silicon-based anode materials, and the materials synthesized with this technology have passed the tests of downstream core customers.

Xiangfenghua said that the silicon carbon anode material products developed by the company are in the pilot stage and have the conditions for industrialization. If there is market demand in the future, the company will match the mass production according to customer needs.

Shi Dashenghua said that the silicon carbon anode has the need to adapt to high-voltage electrolyte, and the need to add special additives, the company continues to carry out the research and development of silicon carbon anode materials and additives, and has been tested by customers. In the future, potential customers include Ningde Times, ATL, Samsung, LG, etc., and 4680 manufacturers will be the top priority. Silicon carbon anode material sales will use overseas electrolyte solvent sales channels.

Xinan said that the pilot project of the silicon carbide anode project has completed the installation of equipment and entered the pre-trial production preparation stage.

Silicon carbon anode materials produced by Silicon Treasure Technology have been evaluated by several battery manufacturers and achieved small batch supply, in November 2021, its announcement said that the construction of 10,000 tons / year lithium battery silicon carbon anode material project, the production capacity scale from 50 tons to 10,000 tons level.

The first generation of silicon-carbon composite anode of Gelong New Materials has passed the customer's certification and reached the mass production stage. The product can achieve a capacity increase while maintaining a first lap efficiency of more than 93%, a plate compaction > 1.65g/cc, and a 10C discharge point temperature rise

Tianmu's leading core technology originates from the Institute of Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and its current annual production capacity of lithium-ion battery silicon anode materials can reach 2,000 tons; Yijin New Energy Technology originates from the Institute of Chemistry of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and its annual output of 5,000 tons of lithium-ion battery silicon-based anode materials project is scheduled to be put into operation at the end of 2021.

Overseas, the industrialization process of silicon anode is also accelerating.

At the end of July 2021, SK Materials said it plans to invest 60 billion won (about 330 million yuan) to form a joint venture with U.S. battery materials supplier Group 14 to increase the energy density of batteries.

During the same period, Group 14 announced that its first lithium-ion silicon carbon anode material plant in Washington was officially launched, with an annual output of 120 tons. The "SCC55" developed can directly replace the traditional graphite anode and increase the energy density by 50%.

Samsung SDI will launch the second generation of 7% silicon-based battery silicon anode in 2021, and is expected to release the third generation in 2024, with a silicon content of 10%, and is considering purchasing silicon-based anode materials from two companies in South Korea. Previously, Samsung SDI released the first generation of anode material with a silicon content of 2%, and applied it to batteries for the first time in 2018.

The industry expects sales of silicon anode materials to really start in 2023; by 2025, global demand for silicon anode materials is expected to grow at a COMPOUND annual growth rate of 70%.

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