Lithium-Ion Compounds Contain Less Cobalt

Umicore has successfully developed a new generation of lithium compounds based on nickel, cobalt and manganese to meet the demand from the rechargeable battery industry, and specifically from lithium-ion battery manufacturers, for products containing less cobalt.

The new compounds, developed at Umicore’s research laboratories in Canada, contain up to three times less cobalt, which is nearly three times its cost of a year ago, but provide an energy density comparable to lithium cobalt dioxide.

Umicore is in the process of deciding on a location for the production of these compounds which will likely be at its plant in Cheonan, South Korea. It is anticipated that initial production will start before the end of 2004 and full-scale production during 2005.

The production and commercialization of these products will add to the choice available to Umicore’s customers and has the potential to lower total production cost without compromising on battery performance. It will also mean that metal availability is less of a limiting factor in the use of lithium-ion technology in new applications such as power tools or hybrid vehicles.