A breakthrough in the application of specialty cryolite for lithium battery foil production, achieving a purity level of up to 99.9%.

2025-11-06

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  Specialty cryolite has achieved a critical breakthrough in the production of lithium battery foil materials. After technical optimization, its purity has been steadily increased to 99.9%, providing a core material foundation for manufacturing high-precision lithium battery foils. This advancement hinges on cryolite's unique properties within the electrolyte system: its exceptional purity significantly minimizes impurities that could disrupt the foil's crystal lattice structure, boosting the surface density of lithium battery copper and aluminum foils by more than 30%. As a result, pinhole rates have been reduced to below 0.02%, effectively addressing the issue of conductivity degradation caused by impurities in conventional foil materials.

  In terms of process compatibility, cryolite with 99.9% purity forms a stable complex structure when combined with lithium salt systems, and its melting point can be precisely tuned within the range of 850–950°C, perfectly matching the rolling temperature requirements for foils of varying thicknesses. For instance, in the production of ultra-thin 4.5-μm copper foil, adjusting the cryolite molecular ratio allows the foil to achieve a tensile strength of 420 MPa and an elongation rate as high as 8%, reaching internationally advanced levels. Additionally, its low volatility significantly reduces fluoride concentrations in the production environment by 65%, dramatically improving working conditions in the workshop.

  This breakthrough also extends to the field of resource recycling. By integrating with lithium-ion battery recycling processes, cryolite can be efficiently regenerated and extracted from spent battery cathode materials, creating a closed-loop industrial chain that spans "lithium extraction—cryolite regeneration—foil production." Data shows that the cost of producing recycled cryolite is 40% lower than that of virgin mineral-based cryolite, while its carbon footprint is reduced by 58%. This innovative approach offers a viable pathway for the green transformation of the lithium-ion battery industry. Currently, leading domestic companies have already scaled up the application of this technology, achieving an annual capacity to process up to 100,000 tons of waste batteries—driving the growing adoption of specialty cryolite in the emerging energy materials sector.