LANXESS has opened a battery laboratory at its Krefeld-Uerdingen site in Germany to test and develop materials for lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries. The facility will focus on iron oxide and iron phosphate grades used in LFP cathode materials for electric vehicles and other battery applications.
The laboratory allows LANXESS to evaluate material properties directly in battery cells, giving engineers earlier data on how different iron oxide and iron phosphate grades affect cell performance and processability.
The company says this can help shorten the development cycle between material formulation and cell-level testing.
LANXESS is developing specialized iron oxide grades for use as raw materials in LFP cathode synthesis, along with iron phosphate as an additional precursor. The company says its iron phosphate process uses iron and phosphoric acid and is designed to avoid the large volumes of saline wastewater associated with some conventional production methods.
LFP chemistry continues to gain ground in electric vehicles (EVs) as manufacturers expand regional battery supply chains. LANXESS says new LFP value chains are emerging in Europe and North America as the industry works to reduce dependence on Asian suppliers.
The new laboratory can also be used to evaluate materials for other battery chemistries, including sodium-ion cells that use sodium iron pyrophosphate cathode material.
Beyond cathode-material precursors, LANXESS supplies materials used elsewhere in battery manufacturing and processing, including electrolyte-related chemicals, ion-exchange resins, and thermal-management materials. It also supplies process chemicals used in battery recycling and black-mass treatment.
Filed Under: Batteries, Technology News