Morita Chem Increases Electrolyte Output

Morita Chemical Industries Co., a manufacturer of hydrofluoric acid and other fluorine compounds, will increase its Chinese production of electrolyte material for the lithium batteries used in phones and computers, reports The Nikkei Business Daily.

The firm will spend 600 million yen this year at a Jiangsu Province factory to double annual output capacity for lithium hexafluorophosphate to 720 tons. It supplies this electrolyte material to Japanese-affiliated lithium battery makers and hopes to double sales to 2 billion yen in 2008. Morita Chemical Industries (Zhangjiagang) Co. currently makes the material at a 10,000 square-meter factory and plans to open a second factory.

In addition to boosting battery electrolyte output, Morita Chemical plans to strengthen its collaborative R&D with producers of electrolytic fluids. The goal is to formulate an electrolytic fluid that provides more power per unit volume and prolongs battery service life.