I. Overview of the Technology Roadmap of Japanese Lithium-ion Battery Companies
II. Details of each company's technical roadmap
1. Panasonic-Sanyo Electric
cathode materials
Research and development are underway on solid solution cathode materials doped with elements such as nickel and aluminum, using lithium manganese oxide as the cathode material for batteries. Currently, lithium nickel cobalt manganese oxide and lithium nickel cobalt aluminum oxide have been developed and are already in large-scale application.
In addition, to address the issues of low thermal stability and safety associated with nickel oxide, a nano-coating was applied to the surface of the cathode material.
Anode material
Currently, carbon materials are mainly used, but at the same time, silicon alloy anode materials are being actively developed and have already been partially applied.
2NEC-AESC
By doping lithium manganese oxide materials with elements such as nickel and aluminum to improve their low energy density, NEC's approach is actually similar to Panasonic's. However, NEC seems to be taking a bolder stance, developing a nickel-cobalt alloy material with twice the specific capacity to replace manganese materials.
Currently, the application of this new cathode material has solved the problem of battery durability. NEC is actively developing electrode materials specifically for power lithium batteries, and these materials are already in use.
Mitshitachi
Anode material
There are currently two approaches to the development of Hitachi's anode materials:
1. Improvements based on carbon materials;
2. Develop SiO-C, a hybrid of silicon alloy materials and carbon materials.
At the same time, we are developing new copper foils with high elastic limit stress and excellent processing performance as electrode materials.
diaphragm
In terms of membranes, a ceramic membrane material resistant to 200℃ has been developed. It is made by coating plate-shaped inorganic microparticles onto a porous membrane made of ordinary polyolefin. This membrane material has already been put into application.
4 Toshiba
Toshiba primarily increases the energy density of its batteries by increasing the particle density of the cathode material. To optimize the performance of its manganese-titanium batteries, Toshiba uses an electrolyte with a high ignition point and a separator with excellent heat resistance.
5 inches of nitrile
Inex is firmly committed to the lithium manganese oxide route, and its lithium battery technology is among the leading in Japan. Currently, the product data for the power lithium batteries supplied by Inex are promising, but mass production testing is still required.
6GS Yuasa
GS Yuasa is actively pursuing both lithium manganese oxide and lithium iron phosphate technologies. Key lithium manganese oxide products include EH6 and LEV50, while key lithium iron phosphate products include LEV25 and LIM40.
7 Sony
While developing lithium iron phosphate batteries, Sony is also actively developing power lithium batteries using lithium cobalt oxide and tin-based alloy materials. Sony's approach involves applying a 0.1 to 1 μm thick coating to the surface of the lithium cobalt oxide particles, using a cathode material composed of a mixture of tantalum cobalt oxide and ternary materials, and employing a ceramic separator to improve safety.
