SKC and POSCO Group to Jointly Develop 'Next-Generation Secondary Battery Materials'

Comprehensive Business Agreement at SKC Headquarters on the 30th
Collaboration on Anode Material and Process Technology Development

Global No.1 in the copper foil market for secondary batteries, SKC has joined hands with POSCO Group, which has completed the value chain from secondary battery raw materials to materials, for the future secondary battery materials business.

On the 30th, SKC and POSCO Holdings signed a memorandum of understanding for comprehensive cooperation in the next-generation secondary battery materials business at SKC headquarters in Jongno-gu, Seoul. Based on this agreement, they will collaborate on the development of anode materials to be applied to next-generation secondary batteries such as lithium metal anodes, as well as on process technology development for material production. Lithium metal anodes are high-capacity materials with an energy density 10 times higher than conventional graphite anodes. They are attracting attention as next-generation anode materials applicable to lithium-ion batteries and all-solid-state batteries.

The two companies will also cooperate in the supply of key raw materials for secondary battery materials. By collaborating with POSCO International, which has mineral trading experience including copper, the raw material for copper foil, SKC will be able to stably secure raw materials to meet the increasing demand in the future. A joint consultative body composed of each subsidiary in charge of the business and working-level staff will be formed and operated. Last year, SKC made an investment in the UK technology company Nexeon and officially entered the silicon anode material business. Through this collaboration, they will also establish a foundation for the lithium metal anode material business. POSCO Group has been conducting proactive research and development on lithium metal anode materials since 2017 and plans to commercialize them by 2026.

Park Won-cheol, SKC President, said, “Through the synergy of SKC’s excellent material technology and POSCO Group’s powerful infrastructure, we will be able to secure strong leadership in the next-generation secondary battery materials market,” adding, “We will actively cooperate to further enhance the competitiveness of South Korea’s secondary battery industry.” Yoo Byung-ok, Vice President of Eco-friendly Future Materials at POSCO Holdings, said, “We expect great synergy in the secondary battery market through the cooperation between POSCO Group, which has strengths in both cathode and anode materials, and SKC.”