Recently, the solid-state battery sector has continued to be hot, and the stock prices of a number of "solid-related" listed companies in A-shares have risen sharply, causing widespread concern in the market. Since September, Nandu Power once won the "20CM" daily limit for 3 consecutive boards, up nearly 67% in three days; Dongfeng Group also has a daily limit of 3 boards, Del shares, Baolidi, etc. single-day daily limit, Xiangfenghua, Jin Longyu, etc. followed up.
On the news side, Nandu Power previously said on August 30 that the energy density of its solid-state battery products can reach 350Wh/kg, with a cycle life of 2,000 times, and it has passed the safety tests such as hot box and short circuit, and the indicators have been successfully completed, and the project acceptance will be completed in the fourth quarter of this year.
Industry insiders said that the sharp rise in the stock price of Nandu Power may be related to the progress of solid-state batteries it revealed. Earlier, on August 28, China Innovation Airlines and Penghui Energy also released their respective R&D results in the field of solid-state batteries.
Among them, China Innovation Aviation released the "unbounded" all-solid-state battery technology, which corresponds to the battery energy density of up to 430wh/kg and the capacity of more than 50Ah, and at the same time has made important breakthroughs in battery operating pressure, life and power, which is planned to be installed in 2027.
Penghui Energy released its first-generation solid-state battery, using an oxide solid-state electrolyte solution, with an energy density of 280Wh/kg, and plans to be equipped with a silicon anode to achieve 300Wh/kg after 2025, which will be pilot-developed and produced on a small-scale scale in 2025 and mass-produced in 2026.
On September 6, Sunwoda also revealed that its first-generation semi-solid-state battery has been developed, the cell samples of the second-generation semi-solid-state battery have begun pilot tests, and the third-generation polymer composite all-solid-state battery has completed laboratory verification, and product development is expected to be completed in 2025. Its fourth-generation all-solid-state battery is still under development, and laboratory samples are expected to be completed in 2027.
In fact, entering 2024, unlike the slowdown in the growth rate of the liquid lithium-ion battery industry, the popularity of solid-state batteries continues to rise. At present, there are a number of domestic battery companies, including CATL, EVE Lithium Energy, Guoxuan Hi-Tech, BAK Battery, Fodi Battery, Honeycomb Energy, Qingtao Energy, Tailan New Energy, etc., have announced their respective plans and layouts in solid-state battery products.
According to the CITIC Securities research report, since 2024, the mainland solid-state battery industry has seen marginal changes such as the listing of semi-solid-state mass production models and the penetration rate of semi-solid-state batteries reaching 1%, and the industrialization signal has arrived.
However, there are also many people in the industry who believe that although the industrialization of solid-state batteries is more frequent than before, there is still a long way to go before large-scale mass production.
On September 3, Nandu Power announced that its solid-state battery products will not be mass-produced in the short term; Penghui Energy also previously disclosed that its solid-state battery products are not expected to be mass-produced within a year. This also proves that the industrialization process of solid-state batteries, especially all-solid-state batteries, is still "thorny".
So, what kind of technical route may realize the commercialization of all-solid-state batteries? Where is the "bottleneck" link in the industrialization of all-solid-state batteries in mainland China, and what is the current progress in its breakthrough?
01
Solid-state batteries "overcome obstacles" in three steps
In terms of the industrialization process, recently, Ouyang Minggao, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and a professor at Tsinghua University, pointed out at an industry conference that the development of solid-state batteries needs to be taken step by step:
The first step is to focus on solid-state electrolytes. In 2025, with the goal of 200Wh/kg and 400Wh/L, the all-solid-state battery technology chain will be opened, and the ternary and graphite positive and negative electrodes will be basically unchanged, and the main electrolyte will be established; In 2030, with the goal of 300Wh/kg and 600Wh/L, special commercial vehicle applications will be the main scenario, and ternary-silicon carbon cathodes and anodes will optimize the solid-state electrolyte system to improve the battery rate performance and cycle life.
The second step is to focus on high-capacity composite anodes. (Cell energy density) In 2030, with the goal of 400Wh/kg and 800Wh/L, high-performance passenger car applications will be the main scenario, and the high specific capacity and high silicon-based anode will be further developed to improve the battery rate performance and cycle life; In 2035, with the goal of 500Wh/kg and 1000Wh/L, we will further develop lithium metal anodes (lithium metal carriers or functional layers) with high specific capacity.
The third step is to focus on high-capacity composite cathodes. (cell energy density) in 2035, with the goal of 500Wh/kg and 1000Wh/L, further develop high-voltage and high-specific capacity lithium-rich cathodes; In 2040, with the goal of 700Wh/kg, lithium-sulfur and lithium-air batteries will be developed.
It is worth mentioning that Academician Ouyang Minggao suggested that "the main electrolyte will be established next year", which shows that in his "three-step solid-state battery" strategy, tackling solid-state electrolytes is an extremely important part.
02
Where are solid-state electrolytes developed?
According to the classification of electrolytes, the current technical routes of all-solid-state batteries mainly include polymers, oxides, sulfides, and halides.
It is understood that the current solid-state electrolyte materials are mostly oxides and sulfides, and the construction of production lines in the industry has appeared in the tonnage to 1,000-ton layout.
Dangsheng Technology revealed that it has systematically laid out the key technical routes of solid electrolytes such as oxides and sulfides and duplex composite high-energy solid-state cathode materials, and the performance of related solid-state lithium battery products is in the leading position in the industry.
According to reports, in terms of solid-state electrolyte development, Dangsheng Technology has designed a unique full-process nano-integrated process through special component design to regulate lithium-ion channels, multi-element targeted modification to stabilize the crystal structure, and developed a nano-scale solid-state electrolyte with high ionic conductivity and high stability.
Rongbai Technology has also said that it has technical reserves for the preparation of solid electrolyte membranes by wet and dry electrodes, and has developed a variety of solid electrolyte materials, and sulfide-based solid electrolytes are planned to achieve pilot test this year and trial production next year.
beiteri revealed in August this year that it has made significant progress in the development and innovation of solid-state electrolytes and cathode and anode materials for solid-state batteries, and its LATP oxide solid-state electrolyte has begun to ship tons.
Shanghai Xiba disclosed that from January to July 2024, its lithium-ion battery solid-state electrolyte powder materials completed 37 batches and 236kg of delivery, covering 23 customers. Its multi-form solid electrolyte powder material adopts the main oxide technology route, and has cooperated to build a 10-ton production line, and is expanding to 50 tons and 100 tons.
According to the semi-annual report of Putailai, it has completed the pilot test of solid-state electrolytes LATP (lithium aluminum titanium phosphate) and LLZO (lithium lanthanum zirconium oxygen), and has built a pilot production line with an annual output of 200 tons of solid electrolyte at the Sichuan base.
Ganfeng Lithium said in June this year that its 1,000-ton production line of solid electrolyte materials has been put into operation, and hybrid solid-liquid lithium batteries have achieved mass production in the fields of power, 3C, and portable energy storage, of which the power field includes demonstration operation projects and mass-produced models of some car companies.
Guanghua Technology revealed that it provides raw materials for solid electrolytes, including sulfide and oxide raw materials, which will be basically sold by ton this year. Judging from the customers contacted, they believe that the current progress is a little faster is the oxide route.
The LATP solid-state electrolyte developed by Mongoli has completed the material certification of the leading solid-state battery company, and the supplier introduction work is underway.
According to market news, the nano-scale "sulfide electrolyte" developed by Ouyang Minggao Academician Workstation (Sichuan New Energy Vehicle Innovation Center) has also made phased progress in July this year, and a pilot line with an annual output of 100 tons is currently being planned, which is expected to start construction at the end of this year. The center also plans to build a 1,000-ton mass production line by 2026.
Academician Ouyang Minggao said, "My experience of making fuel cells is to solve one problem at a time. The same is true for solid-state batteries, first of all, we must solve the problem of solid-state electrolyte, we don't want the positive electrode to change, the negative electrode to change, and the electrolyte to change, how can we solve it all at once?"
BOC Securities also said that solid-state electrolytes are a key change in solid-state batteries. Among the many solid-state electrolyte technology routes, the composite solid-state electrolyte combines the advantages of polymers and oxides, and is expected to take the lead in realizing industrialization with the application of interface technology. Sulfide electrolytes are currently considered by most in the industry to be the ideal route for all-solid-state batteries, and are expected to be mass-produced in the future as related technologies mature.
Industry experts pointed out that no electrolyte is perfect, and with the efforts of scientists from all over the world, there are some targeted technologies for each route.
It is worth noting that the development of solid-state batteries is not an easy task after the use of solid-state electrolytes. Zeng Yuqun, chairman of CATL, recently said, "We have invested seven or eight years in research on all-solid-state batteries. The key to the development of all-solid-state batteries lies in the study of materials and chemical systems, and the most difficult of them is the 'solid-solid interface' problem. ”
In terms of the market, CITIC Securities predicts that the global solid-state battery shipment demand will reach 643GWh in 2030, with a compound growth rate of 133% from 2024 to 2030, and a total market space of 1.2 trillion yuan.
It can be seen that with the efforts of leading material companies, the main solid-state electrolyte may be clearer and more centralized next year, which will also help the industrialization process of solid-state/all-solid-state batteries.