Analyze the price trend of lithium hexafluorophosphate, a raw material for lithium battery electrolyte

The price trend of lithium hexafluorophosphate, a raw material for lithium battery electrolyte. Driven by changes in energy technology and emerging technologies, global lithium battery electrolyte production has entered a period of rapid growth, and China is one of the important producers of lithium batteries. Lithium hexafluorophosphate, a new energy product, is favored by domestic technologically superior enterprises, and the current market demand for lithium hexafluorophosphate is steadily increasing. In the future, China is expected to become a major producer of lithium hexafluorophosphate. What is a lithium battery? A 'lithium battery' is a type of battery that uses lithium metal or lithium alloy as the negative electrode material and uses a non-aqueous electrolyte solution. Lithium batteries can be roughly divided into two categories: lithium metal batteries and lithium ion batteries. Lithium-ion batteries do not contain metallic lithium and are rechargeable. The fifth generation of rechargeable batteries, lithium metal batteries, was born in 1996, and its safety, specific capacity, self-discharge rate and performance-price ratio are superior to those of lithium batteries. Due to its own high-tech requirements, only a few companies in a few countries are producing such lithium metal batteries. Lithium metal batteries are generally batteries that use manganese dioxide as the positive electrode material, metallic lithium or its alloy metal as the negative electrode material, and use a non-aqueous electrolyte solution. Lithium battery materials mainly include: positive electrode material, negative electrode material, separator, and electrolyte. Electrolyte is generally prepared from raw materials such as high-purity organic solvents, electrolyte lithium salts, and necessary additives under certain conditions and in certain proportions. The electrolyte plays a role in conducting ions between the positive and negative electrodes of the lithium battery, which guarantees that the lithium ion battery obtains the advantages of high voltage and high specific energy. Introduction and use of electrolyte for lithium hexafluorophosphate batteries Lithium hexafluorophosphate is the most important component of the electrolyte composition, accounting for about 43% of the total cost of the electrolyte. In the fluorine chemical industry, although traditional products have experienced a significant year-on-year decline, the demand for high-end products has maintained a strong momentum. In particular, the production and sales of lithium hexafluorophosphate continue to maintain a good momentum. With the continuous expansion of the new energy field in the future, lithium hexafluorophosphate is expected to usher in a continuous outbreak. In the future, other new lithium salts are expected to replace lithium hexafluorophosphate. Lithium hexafluorophosphate is used as a lithium-ion battery electrolyte, mainly used in lithium-ion power batteries, lithium-ion energy storage batteries and other daily-use batteries, and is an irreplaceable lithium battery electrolyte in the near and mid-term. The price of lithium hexafluorophosphate is the most important component of lithium battery electrolyte, and the price of lithium hexafluorophosphate has been rising recently. According to monitoring, on March 22, the price of lithium hexafluorophosphate was between 90,000 and 150,000 yuan/ton. Although the average price was the same as the previous day, the high digit rose by 15,000 yuan/ton from the previous day. Compared to the average price on March 19, in just a few days, the overall price of lithium hexafluorophosphate has risen by RMB 5,000/ton. Lithium battery manufacturing analysts said that in the near future, the upstream raw material hydrofluoric acid market for lithium hexafluorophosphate has continued to be weak, and the downstream electrolyte market demand is better. Some manufacturers say that the supply is in short supply, and the quotations have been raised. Market prices are rising, the overall market situation is improving, and the company's production expansion continues. Lithium hexafluorophosphate has high cost, high technology and equipment requirements, and is affected by environmental protection and other factors, and its capacity utilization rate is low. In the short term, the price of lithium hexafluorophosphate may rise steadily and increase by 1,000 yuan/ton. The research report believes that the rapid increase in power and energy storage lithium battery shipments drives the continuous growth of electrolyte and lithium hexafluorophosphate demand. It is estimated that the global demand for lithium hexafluorophosphate from 2018 to 2020 will be 30,800 tons, 40,000 tons, and 53,600 tons, respectively, with a compound growth rate. Reached 32%. The leader of lithium hexafluorophosphate production recently stated in investor relations activities that the company's lithium hexafluorophosphate production capacity was 6,000 tons at the end of 2018, and it is still continuing to expand production. It is expected to reach a scale of 9,000 to 10,000 tons by the end of this year. The company predicts that market demand, production and sales in 2019 will be significantly higher than in 2018. In addition, it should be noted that the price of downstream electrolyte has declined in the past week, and the price is around 41,000 yuan/ton. The latest report believes that with the continued expansion of electrolyte companies and increased competition, the industry is in an adjustment period, coupled with declining subsidies and lower costs of downstream battery companies, which will have a certain pressure on the raw material market. It is expected that electrolyte prices may fall by 2000 in the short term. Yuan / ton. What are the reasons for the price trend of lithium hexafluorophosphate? According to industry experts, the decline in the price of lithium hexafluorophosphate is mainly affected by factors such as the decline of vehicle subsidies and the release of industry capacity. With the heavy volume of new energy vehicles in the second half of the year, lithium hexafluorophosphate companies are expected to usher in a profit turning point. Judging from the current production capacity, it should be basically met, or slightly lacking, and there is a demand for heavy volume, so from the demand side, it can also drive its volume and price growth. However, from a short-term perspective, it is difficult to achieve a very large increase, because the current production capacity is far greater than the market demand, so the price increase is also a slow process, and it is expected that there will be a significant increase in the second half of the year. With the rapid development of China's new energy industry and low-carbon economy, lithium-ion batteries and related materials have also been developed by leaps and bounds. Lithium hexafluorophosphate has made major breakthroughs in the production process and optimized the structure of supporting equipment and materials. Although the overall price trend of lithium hexafluorophosphate may rise in 2019, because the current price is low. But there shouldn't be a surge like 2016.