There are many preparation methods for trifluoropropylene carbonate (TFPC) and can be used as an electrolyte additive for lithium batteries
Trifluoropropylene carbonate (TFPC), also known as 4-trifluoromethylethylene carbonate, has a molecular formula of C4H3F3O3 and is a fluorocarbonate compound. Propylene trifluorocarbonate has the advantages of good chemical stability and thermal stability, and can be used as an electrolyte additive for lithium-ion batteries, which can prolong battery life, improve battery low-temperature performance, improve battery safety and maintain conductivity, and is the end market for energy storage systems and new energy vehicles.
There are many preparation methods for trifluoropropylene carbonate, including TFPO hydrolysis method, transesterification method, phosgene method, ETFP reduction method, TFP direct oxidation method, etc. The phosgene method is the traditional preparation method of propylene trifluorocarbonate, which usually uses TFPG as raw material, adds phosgene, and obtains the finished product after full reaction, which has the advantages of high yield of finished product and simple operation process, but is easy to cause environmental pollution;
According to the "2024-2029 China Trifluoropropylene Carbonate (TFPC) Industry Market In-depth Research and Development Prospect Forecast Report" released by Xinsijie Industry Research Center, lithium battery electrolyte additives are extremely rich, including carbonate additives, carboxylate additives, ether additives, etc. Trifluoropropylene carbonate is a carbonate lithium battery electrolyte additive. In the early stage of the development of the industry, due to factors such as high technical barriers and high production costs, the mainland electrolyte additives were highly dependent on imports. In recent years, with the increasing demand for technology and application, the localization process of the mainland electrolyte additives market has accelerated. In 2023, the shipment of lithium battery electrolyte additives in mainland China will reach nearly 50,000 tons, a year-on-year increase of more than 70%. In the future, with the improvement of the prosperity of the lithium battery electrolyte additives industry, the market space of trifluoropropylene carbonate in mainland China will be further expanded.
Energy storage systems, new energy vehicles and other fields are the end markets of trifluoropropylene carbonate. With the support of national policies and the improvement of national living standards, the production and sales of new energy vehicles in mainland China continue to grow. According to statistics from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, the production of new energy vehicles in mainland China will reach 9.587 million units in 2023, and the sales volume will reach 9.495 million units. Lithium batteries can be used as power batteries for new energy vehicles, which play a decisive role in their power performance and mileage. In the future, with the acceleration of the development of the downstream industry, the application demand for trifluoropropylene carbonate in mainland China will become increasingly strong.
Industry analysts said that as an electrolyte additive for lithium batteries, propylene trifluorocarbonate has excellent comprehensive performance, and its application demand will continue to grow in the future with the acceleration of the development of high-tech industries such as energy storage systems and new energy vehicles. However, at present, the mainland trifluoropropylene carbonate industry is still in its infancy, and local enterprises do not have the capacity for mass production, and their output will increase with technological progress in the future.