Silicon carbon anode: next-generation lithium battery material with broad market prospects

Silicon carbon anode has the advantages of high energy density and suitable discharge platform, and is one of the more potential next-generation anode materials.

In the past few years, due to the high price of products and the immature supporting industry chain, the industrialization of silicon carbon anodes has not progressed as expected.
However, since 2021, Tesla, CATL and other companies have successively started mass production of power battery products using silicon carbon anodes, and some anode companies have also begun to invest in the construction of silicon carbon anode production lines.
Silicon carbon anodes are still in the early stages of the industry. According to the data of Gaogong Lithium Battery, the shipment of silicon-based anode materials in my country in 2020 will be 6,000 tons, a year-on-year increase of 20%. It is estimated that by 2025, my country's silicon-based anode material shipments will reach 22,000 tons.
At present, the performance of carbon systems has reached the ceiling, and graphite anode materials have encountered obvious bottlenecks in improving the energy density of batteries, and silicon carbon anodes have significant advantages.
The theoretical energy density of graphite is 372mAh/g, while the theoretical energy density of silicon anode is 10 times higher than that, up to 4200mAh/g.
Compared with graphite anode materials, silicon-based anode materials have obvious energy density advantages and become the future development direction.

At present, anode factories are increasing the research and development of silicon-based anodes, and they are laying out various technical routes.
At present, silicon carbon anodes have been used in batches in Japan, and domestic enterprises have gradually achieved small-scale production capacity, and some enterprises are still in the pilot line or experimental stage.
As the earliest manufacturer of mass-produced silicon-carbon anodes, BTR currently has a production capacity of 3,000 tons per year and mainly supplies Panasonic, while the silicon-carbon anodes of Shanshan, Xiangfenghua, and Putailai are all in the pilot stage. Industrialization conditions have been met.
In 2019, Sibao Technology built a 50-ton/year silicon-carbon anode pilot production line. The products have been evaluated by several battery manufacturers and have been supplied in small batches. In 2021, it plans to build a new 10,000-ton/year silicon-carbon anode material for lithium batteries and other projects. .
Zhongke Electric has built a production capacity of 92,000 tons in Changsha and Tongren. The Changsha 50,000-ton project has started construction and is expected to be put into operation in May 2022; the first phase of the Gui'an base is 65,000 tons and the first phase of the Qujing base is 50,000 tons. It is expected to be put into operation at the end of 2022. At that time, the company's total production capacity is expected to reach 257,000 tons. The company plans to build a total production capacity of 500,000 tons by 2025, ushering in a four-year production capacity explosion period.
Downstream of silicon carbon anode: 4680 cylindrical battery mass production to promote the market
Downstream battery companies are actively applying silicon carbon anodes. Due to the easy deformation of the battery, silicon carbon anodes are currently mainly used in cylindrical batteries.
Tesla has applied silicon carbon anodes to Model 3 related batteries, and plans to apply silicon carbon anode materials on a large scale in 4680 cells.
The 4680 cylindrical battery has strongly driven the update and iteration of the industry chain, and the high energy density advantage of silicon-based anodes is more prominent. It is expected to be applied to high-end electric vehicles in batches in the future.
In the high specific capacity battery solutions of power battery manufacturers such as CATL, Lishen Battery, Guoxuan Hi-Tech and Pride, the silicon carbon anode is a clear development direction.
Battery manufacturers such as Panasonic, Yiwei Lithium Energy, and LG all have capacity plans for 4680 battery technology. It is expected that the mass production of 4680 large cylindrical batteries is expected to bring further penetration of silicon carbon anodes.