Graphite As an Anode
Whether in an electric car, smartphone or laptop: the negative electrode of lithium-ion batteries consists of a graphite anode. This material can be found in a variety of different shapes and sizes, but they all have one thing in common: They all have to be perfectly suited for the task at hand. That is why SGL Carbon researches how all the components work together and offers high-quality graphite anode materials that can be precisely adapted to each battery type.
According to BloombergNEF, graphite prices are stable at the moment and demand for anodes in lithium-ion batteries is expected to grow up to seven-fold over the next decade. The London-based price reporting agency sees this growth spurred by the aggressive rollout of electric vehicles. Every plug-in EV requires 70 kg of graphite, while hybrids need about 10 kg.
For this reason, K-ion batteries (KIBs) have been gaining in popularity recently, as they offer a safe and inexpensive alternative to Li-ion batteries. One key to their performance is the low potential plateau of the graphite anode. The exact cause of this has not been fully understood, but it is influenced by the graphite size and morphology, the electrode architecture, the SEI layer chemistry and composition, the desolvation at the electrode/electrolyte interface as well as the salt concentration in the electrolyte.
The United States is currently 100% import reliant for the raw material required to produce battery-grade graphite. But that may soon change: Last month, the US Geological Survey reported that Graphite One was granted "High-Priority Infrastructure Project" status for its Moses Lake deposit in Washington state. The company aims to mine the graphite and build a processing and anode production facility.
