ENPlus Successfully Develops Roll-to-Roll Type ‘LFP Dry Electrode’

Secondary battery specialist company ENPLUS announced on the 6th that it has succeeded in developing a roll-to-roll (continuous coating) type 'LFP (Lithium Iron Phosphate) dry electrode' for mass production, following its existing 'NCM (Nickel-Cobalt-Manganese) dry electrode.' The newly developed LFP dry electrode was created with the goal of supplying global companies. With this, ENPLUS has laid the groundwork to secure a leading position in the related market.

Last year, ENPLUS developed a dry electrode using NCM cathode active material and showcased it at 'InterBattery 2023.' At that time, ENPLUS's NCM dry electrode attracted significant attention in the industry by solving the adhesion problem between the cathode active material and the current collector (aluminum foil). Many companies struggled to commercialize due to unresolved related issues.

The roll-to-roll LFP dry electrode developed this time is considered a more challenging technology than the NCM dry electrode. Due to the material characteristics, LFP dry electrodes have smaller particle sizes than NCM, requiring more active material to increase density. This leads to issues such as 'electrode cracking,' which is identified as the biggest factor increasing manufacturing difficulty.

Kang Taekyung, CEO who led the development of the LFP dry electrode, stated, “We successfully solved existing problems by actively applying our proprietary patented technologies,” and explained, “The LFP dry electrode developed this time has approximately 1.8 times greater thickness and density compared to the 'wet' manufacturing method LFP electrodes.”

He added, “Increasing thickness and density by more than 1.8 times can reduce the stacking process time by about 30%,” and explained, “This reduces the use of raw materials such as current collectors (cathode aluminum and anode copper foil), separators, and tabs by 30%, and also decreases the number of mold uses in the notching process, ultimately contributing significantly to cost reduction.”

Generally, the higher the density of the electrode, the greater the energy capacity it holds, which improves the driving range of electric vehicles. ENPLUS's LFP dry electrode has a thickness of 360μm and a density of 65.4mg/㎠. The thickness of conventional wet method LFP electrodes is around 200μm, with a density of about 34mg/㎠.

Another major advantage of LFP cathode active material is that it is cheaper than minerals such as nickel and cobalt. As a result, Korea has focused on developing dry electrodes using NCM cathode active materials, but overseas, companies like Tesla and European firms are paying more attention to dry electrodes using LFP cathode active materials.

An ENPLUS official said, “Since participating in the US Battery Show in 2023, we have held many meetings with various companies regarding dry electrodes,” and added, “Recently, as overseas companies are focusing on launching affordable electric vehicles, we accelerated the development of LFP dry electrodes, which have relatively higher demand compared to NCM.”

He continued, “We have submitted proposals related to LFP dry electrodes to completed vehicle manufacturers based in Europe and are awaiting responses,” and added, “In addition, steady deliveries are ongoing in the thermal management materials business, so from the second half of this year, when additional expansions are completed, we expect to show meaningful performance.”