Birla Carbon Widens Conductive Carbon Range for Next-Generation Batteries
Birla Carbon has expanded its specialty materials range for battery makers, with Conductex™ i conductive carbon black grades, Nanocyl™ carbon nanotubes and carbon black–CNT blends.
The materials are aimed at lithium-ion cells and newer chemistries — LMFP, sodium-ion, solid-state and metal-air. The company says they offer high purity, strong conductivity and even dispersion, and can reduce solvent use and energy in electrode manufacturing, with a focus on supply-chain resilience, longer cycle life and fast charging. The range is being shown at The Battery Show.
"Electrification is creating new performance demands across the materials value chain, and advanced carbon materials have an important role to play in meeting them," said Shashank Awasthi, President, Specialty Materials, Birla Carbon.
What it means for buyers and suppliers
Conductive additives are a small share of a cell's weight but matter a lot to its performance. As Indian cell plants scale up, a supplier offering both conductive carbon black and nanotubes gives electrode makers another option alongside imports. Suppliers of binders and solvents to electrode lines should note the push to cut solvent use.
Source: Indian Chemical News. Photo (representative): carbon nanotubes. Shaddack, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.