Li-Ion Battery Graphite - Why It's Important For Li-Ion Batteries
Graphite is one of the most critical materials for li ion batteries because it is the anode. It’s essential for the battery to function because it helps keep lithium ions from forming metal lithium dendrites which would cause the cell to fail during charging and discharging.
During the charge and discharge process, lithium ions flow from the cathode to the anode through an electrolyte buffer that separates these electrodes. During this process, graphite allows the lithium ions to collect an electron without significant expansion of the anode, which can occur with other materials.
As a result, China is the world’s largest producer of graphite and has a dominant position in every step of the graphite supply chain. This includes mining, processing and manufacturing of anode material.
As a result of China’s dominance, many battery makers and EV manufacturers are struggling to diversify their graphite supply chains away from Chinese suppliers. As a result, graphite prices have spiked as a consequence of this. For companies with large graphite deposits in safe jurisdictions, this could be an ideal time to attract interest from major automakers seeing to reduce their dependence on China for raw material production and graphite processing.
