Enhancing Lithium-Ion Battery Performance with Cabot's Conductive Additives

Matt Wood, VP Global Strategy & Marketing, Cabot Corporation

Enhancing Lithium-Ion Battery Performance with Cabot's Conductive Additives

Conductive additives are small-but-critical components of lithium-ion battery (LIB) electrodes, connecting active materials within a conductive matrix to allow an efficient and durable charge transfer process. Though they are only about 1% of the total battery composition, conductive additives play a crucial role in the functionality and efficiency of lithium-ion batteries. Integrated into both the cathode and anode, these additives enhance electrical conductivity, and better conductive additives lead to better battery performance, such as improved longevity, higher energy density and longer cycle life. Given their critical importance, conductive additives should not be overlooked in battery design, policy decisions, funding allocations, support mechanisms and supply chain considerations.

Cabot Corporation - Global Leader in Conductive Additives

Cabot Corporation is a leading global specialty chemicals and performance materials company serving key industries for over 140 years and has established its position as a global leader in conductive additives for battery materials. Headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts, Cabot has a robust global presence, with manufacturing facilities and technology centers strategically located across all global regions. The company has an extensive global footprint with operations in over 20 countries and such global presence ensures that demands of customers are met efficiently and reliably, regardless of their location. Cabot combines experience with innovation to cater to the evolving needs of the battery industry. Committed to excellence and sustainable solutions, the company offers an extensive product portfolio and advanced technical capabilities that support various battery end-use applications, including energy stationary storage (ESS), electric vehicles (EV) and consumer electronics.

Cabot’s Unique Value Proposition for Battery Materials

Cabot has a uniquely comprehensive conductive additives product portfolio and vertical integration capabilities in conductive dispersions (slurries), backed by a deep understanding of battery material requirements. The company’s portfolio for lithium-ion batteries includes three types of conductive additives:

LITX® Conductive Carbons – enable high energy density and low temperature performance with extended cycle life for EV applications, ESS and consumer electronics. Cabot’s broad portfolio of conductive carbons provides a range of properties to enable a wide range of performance enhancement.
ENERMAX® Carbon Nanotubes (CNTs) – offer excellent electrical conductivity, mechanical strength, and thermal stability. Cabot’s ENERMAX® CNTs provide numerous options in morphology, aspect ratio, purity and format, enhancing performance in power, cycle life and energy density.
ENERMAX® Carbon Nanostructures (CNS) – a unique type of multi-wall carbon nanotube with a high aspect ratio and branched structure, that delivers exceptional conductivity performance at a more affordable cost compared with few-walled and single-walled CNTs. Cabot’s ENERMAX® CNS provides benefits in high-performance cathode applications and silicon-based anodes, which require highly conductive electrical networks throughout the silicon-based anode during cycling, while maintaining mechanical integrity.

Cabot’s ENERMAX® conductive dispersions can consist of either a single conductive additive or blends of multiple conductive additives in liquid form.

There is great potential to enhance the performance of LIB chemistries by innovating and optimizing conductive carbon additives. Blended CNT and conductive carbon dispersions enable battery manufacturers to increase the content of active materials and achieve >50% improvement on electrode resistance when using Cabot’s high surface area LITX® conductive carbons. This enables faster-charging, high-energy density batteries, promoting wider EV adoption crucial for reducing CO2 and other emissions in the automotive industry.

Next-generation battery technologies such as silicon-containing anodes, dry-processed electrodes, solid-state batteries and others all require conductive additives.
Cabot’s battery material portfolio extends beyond conductive additives and includes fumed silica, fumed alumina, and aerogel for the thermal management of EV batteries. These materials address critical challenges such as heat management and structural integrity, further enhancing battery safety, efficiency, and performance.

Proven Market Presence, Commitment to Innovation and Strong R&D Capabilities

Cabot's conductive additives are proven products, already utilized by 9 of the top 10 battery cell manufacturers. Cabot’s products have undergone rigorous testing and are also actively used in programs with leading automotive original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), demonstrating their reliability and effectiveness.

Strong research and development capabilities have contributed to Cabot’s success. The company has battery-focused technology centers in Europe, Asia and North America, is continuously investing in new product and process technologies, and is partnering effectively with other suppliers, universities, and government laboratories. Continuous innovation ensures that Cabot’s materials meet the needs of today's battery technologies, as well as future chemistry needs. Cabot’s forward-thinking approach keeps the company at the cutting edge of conductive additive technology.

Cabot is committed to strengthening the battery supply chain through strategic investments, including active initiatives to expand capabilities in Europe. These investments demonstrate Cabot’s dedication to supporting the growth and stability of the global battery industry.

As we enter a new EU cycle, batteries for EVs will remain a strategic sector for Europe, and battery materials manufacturing will play an important role. It is imperative that the EU has a prioritized and strong industrial competitiveness policy that considers the business case for investment by the chemical industry. Thus, funding support is important to de-risk industrial projects. The European Commission’s recent political Guidelines are a positive signal in this regard.

Additionally, there is a need to balance legislation that manages the risk of using new materials that are critical for new energy supply and a lower carbon future, with the support required to create enabling conditions such as faster permitting and registration, which impact time-to-market and adoption of materials along the EV value chain.

Conclusion

Conductive additives are the heroes of lithium-ion batteries, making up a small fraction of the composition but playing a crucial role in their functionality. With extensive experience and a global presence, Cabot offers a unique range of conductive additives. By providing these additives in various forms and blends, Cabot ensures maximum design flexibility for battery manufacturers, paving the way for the next generation of high-performance, reliable lithium-ion batteries. For the battery value chain in the EU, incentives and legislative support are imperative. While Cabot and the broader industry are motivated to invest in this strategic sector, EU support is crucial to de-risk investments, streamline permitting processes, and ensure the green transition.

This article originally appeared on the Open Access Government website on September 2, 2024: www.openaccessgovernment.org