Development analysis of lithium battery separator industry

Diaphragm is an important part of lithium-ion battery cells, and is usually called battery diaphragm, diaphragm paper, porous membrane, ion exchange membrane, separation membrane, ion permeation membrane, etc. It separates the positive and negative electrodes of the battery, and has electronic insulation and ionic conductivity to prevent direct contact between the positive and negative plates to cause short circuits. At the same time, due to the large number of tortuous and penetrating micropores in the separator, the ion carrier in the battery liquid can be Pass freely in the micropores. The performance of lithium battery separators affects battery performance. There are strict requirements on more than a dozen parameters of lithium battery separators, such as porosity, air permeability, liquid absorption, micropore size and uniformity of pore distribution, automatic shutdown protection performance, and thermal shrinkage. The quality of the diaphragm affects the performance and use of the battery. Barriers of lithium battery separators: technology and equipment difficulties coexist. Diaphragm is a high value-added material with the highest technical barriers among lithium battery materials. The cost accounts for about 10-14% of lithium battery materials, and the gross profit rate can reach 70%. The technical difficulty lies in Engineering technology, matrix materials and manufacturing equipment for making holes. The dry process is relatively simple, but the pore size and porosity are difficult to control. The wet process has a complex process, many key processes, and extremely high requirements for equipment precision. Regardless of the dry or wet method, the production process is long and there are many links. The required production equipment requires high precision and stable operation. At present, there is no complete set of production equipment on the market. Domestic and international lithium battery separator market conditions: the increase in output and sales volume, and the decline in prices affects the growth of output value. In 2013, the growth rate of the output value of the international separator industry was lower than the growth rate of output. With the gradual industrialization of lithium-ion battery separators and the gradual increase in output, especially the gradual improvement of the performance of the separator products of Chinese separator companies, it has had an important impact on the global separator market, resulting in a significant decline in the average price of global separators. . The market pattern of mid-to-high-end and low-end products is polarized. At present, the domestic lithium battery separator market mainly presents a market pattern in which foreign and local manufacturers coexist and are polarized: the low-end market has a low degree of concentration and a state of disorderly competition, which is mainly occupied by local manufacturers; The mid-to-high-end market with high technical barriers and high product quality requirements is dominated by Japanese and Korean manufacturers and a few local leading companies. The only three domestic companies that can produce mid-to-high-end lithium battery diaphragms include Cangzhou Pearl, Shenzhen Xingyuan Material, Fosu Technology and BYD's joint venture Jinhui Hi-Tech. The prosperity of new energy vehicles drives the future development of lithium batteries. In 2013, global electric vehicle sales increased by 78.3% year-on-year. In 2014, it is expected to increase by 80% year-on-year, and the global electric vehicle ownership will exceed 700,000. According to estimates by the International Energy Agency, global sales of electric vehicles will reach 1.1 million in 2015 and 6.9 million in 2020. The market space is huge.