SKC Establishes High-Strength Copper Foil Product Line for Secondary Batteries

SK Nexilis Secures Industry-First Ultra-High-Strength U Battery Foil Production Technology

Copper foil produced by SK Nexilis

[Asia Economy Reporter Oh Hyung-gil] SKC has secured a product line of high-strength copper foil for secondary batteries.

On the 2nd, SKC announced that SK Nexilis, an investor in copper foil for secondary batteries, has secured production technology for ultra-high-strength 'U Battery Foil'. High-strength copper foil is designed to meet the demands of the secondary battery market, such as increased process speed and product capacity, and is evaluated as advantageous for enhancing price competitiveness and increasing capacity of secondary batteries.

SK Nexilis has secured mass production technology for ultra-high-strength copper foil with a tensile strength of 65 kgf/㎟, the first in the industry. This means it can withstand more than twice the pulling force compared to existing standard products. SK Nexilis now has a product line of high-strength copper foils consisting of four types with tensile strengths ranging from 40 to 65 kgf/㎟.

In particular, SK Nexilis holds the 'B·E·S·T' copper foil product line. These include the standard product 'B (Battery) Battery Foil' used widely in various products, 'E (Elongation) Battery Foil' with significantly increased elongation rate without breaking, 'S (Strength) Battery Foil' with enhanced tensile strength, and 'T (Thin) Battery Foil', an ultra-thin foil under 5 micrometers (㎛). The newly added U (Ultra Strength) Battery Foil has a higher tensile strength than the S Battery Foil.

Additionally, the high-strength copper foil possesses high heat resistance, maintaining its physical properties even at high temperatures. SK Nexilis has also secured the technology to produce these copper foil products with a thickness of 4㎛, about 1/30 the thickness of a human hair, a wide width of 1.3 meters, and a maximum roll length of 30 kilometers.

The anode material of secondary batteries undergoes a coating process where graphite, silicon, and other anode materials are coated onto the copper foil. Increasing the coating speed and temperature to reduce the drying time of the coating material enhances price competitiveness. High-strength copper foil, with its high tensile strength and heat resistance, is advantageous for reducing defect risks and improving productivity.

An SK Nexilis official said, "As the high-capacity and productivity improvements of secondary batteries for electric vehicles become more important, the high-strength copper foil market is expected to grow more than tenfold in the coming years compared to now," adding, "We will contribute to the development of the electric vehicle and secondary battery industries by continuously developing high-spec and high-quality products through steady research and development."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.