- As the only South Korean company that produces both cathodes and anodes, POSCO Chemical showcased various products created in response to client needs and the increasing performance capacity of electric vehicles.
- POSCO Chemical made presentations about its business competitiveness, including modeling of its value chain ranging from raw materials to material production and a roadmap for its next-generation material technologies.
According to the company’s website press release on March 15, 2023, POSCO Chemical will participate in InterBattery 2023, scheduled to be held at COEX in Seoul from the 15th to the 17th, and will showcase a diverse range of battery materials and next-generation material technologies based on a full portfolio strategy.
POSCO Chemical is the only company in South Korea that produces both cathodes and anodes, and has set up an exhibition booth in a 270-square-meter space so that visitors can see with their own eyes not only its various anode and cathode products, but also its value chain ranging from raw material procurement and material production to recycling and its next-generation technologies.
As battery materials are being divided into different categories according to varied customer needs and the increasing performance capacity of electric vehicles, POSCO Chemical plans to present the current status of its building of a full portfolio that encompasses all its anode and cathode product groups, strongly emphasizing its efforts to lead changes in technology and in the market.
Being the only South Korean company that produces all of the following cathode types, namely high-nickel,*NCM, NCMA and NCA cathodes, and supplies them to global finished vehicle and battery companies, POSCO Chemical will, in addition to high-nickel cathodes that are capable of increasing energy density, showcase lithium iron phosphate (LFP) cathodes for low-end electric vehicles as well as cobalt-free and high-manganese cathodes which, made by increasing the proportions of substances, such as nickel and manganese instead of cobalt, have a competitive advantage price-wise.
* NCM and NCM(A) cathodes: Cathodes that have advantages in terms of energy density and stability because of being made with lithium, nickel, cobalt, manganese (and aluminum in the case of NCM(A)) as raw materials.
* NCA cathodes: Cathodes that have advantages in terms of energy density and output because of being made with lithium, nickel, cobalt, and aluminum as raw materials.
As for anodes, which determine battery life and recharging performance, POSCO Chemical will exhibit natural graphite, artificial graphite, and low-expansion anodes as well as silicon anodes, which it is currently developing as a next-generation material to achieve increased energy density.
In addition, it will also present the current status of its technology development for high-performance cathodes for all-solid-state batteries and lithium metal anodes, which will serve to enhance the safety of electric vehicles.
While the U.S. is pushing for policies that aim to strengthen its own supply chains, such as the recent implementation of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), it is expected that the attention of global buyers and visitors will be concentrated on the exhibition booth of POSCO Chemical.
POSCO Chemical also plans to enhance the understanding of visitors by displaying a model of POSCO Group's unique value chain, which ranges from raw material procurement from mines and material production to recycling. Looking at the things displayed at the exhibition, one can see at a glance the group's procedural technology related to producing high-quality materials, as well as group-wide internalized competitive strengths associated with raw materials for cathodes, such as lithium and nickel, and raw materials for anodes, such as graphite and needle coke.
Also to be displayed, with the help of graphics and QR codes, are POSCO Chemical's ESG management achievements, including a carbon neutrality roadmap for battery materials for 2035, its responsible mineral management and its acquisition of environmental product declaration certification for battery materials.
Visitors to this exhibition will also be able to see a multi-material battery pack developed by POSCO Group. Multi-material means combining dissimilar materials to develop high-strength and lightweight materials, and POSCO Group has developed its own POSCO-type multi-material battery pack composed of steel and aluminum, contributing to improving the mileage and stability of electric vehicles.
POSCO Chemical CEO Kim Jun-hyung said, “As the only company in South Korea that produces both cathodes and anodes, POSCO Chemical is concentrating on building a global battery material ecosystem, diversifying products, and developing next-generation materials based on a stable raw material supply chain. In addition to making changes for the future of POSCO Group as a leading eco-friendly future materials company, we will also lead changes in technology and in the market, such as achieving carbon neutrality through the spread of eco-friendly mobility.”
