Isu Specialty Chemical Collaborates with Donghwa Electrolyte to Develop Core Materials for All-Solid-State Batteries

Isu Group affiliate Isu Specialty Chemical announced on the 10th that it has signed a comprehensive memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Dongwha Electrolyte, a domestic electrolyte production specialist, to collaborate on the development of solid electrolytes, a core material for all-solid-state batteries.

On the 9th (local time), the MOU signing ceremony was held in Detroit, USA, attended by Ryu Seung-ho, CEO of Isu Specialty Chemical, and Seung Ji-soo, CEO of Dongwha Electrolyte. The two companies plan to cooperate in research and development for solid electrolyte development, quality certification, and securing specifications, with Isu Specialty Chemical taking on the role of supplying lithium sulfide (Li2S), a key raw material for solid electrolytes.

Dongwha Electrolyte, an affiliate of Dongwha Group, focuses on electrolyte production and electrolyte additive development as its main business and succeeded in developing and mass-producing core additives for medium-to-large lithium secondary batteries for the first time in Korea. Recently, it has been concentrating on the development of sulfide-based solid electrolytes as a new growth engine. Isu Specialty Chemical, which is focusing on the commercialization of lithium sulfide (Li2S), expects synergy in technology development and market preemption through cooperation with Dongwha Electrolyte, which corresponds to the downstream of the value chain.

Isu Specialty Chemical has continued to collaborate with major domestic and international solid electrolyte development companies, signing two MOUs this year alone, following the one with Lotte Energy Materials in February.

Ryu Seung-ho, CEO of Isu Specialty Chemical, said, "Dongwha is a company that has achieved results in the electrolyte and additive market led by Japan and China, so it can be a good strategic partner in future solid electrolyte technology development."

Isu Specialty Chemical jointly developed a continuous process with the US-based KBR (Kellogg Brown & Root). The expansion of the lithium sulfide (Li2S) demo plant, which applied this process for the first time in the world, was completed in May this year, and quality tests are currently underway with customers. The company stated at a recent completion ceremony that prototypes produced at the plant have received positive feedback from domestic and international customers, and the possibility of forming additional partnerships is increasing.