As the upstream and downstream of the industrial chain continue to benefit, the development space of the lithium dioxalate borate (LiBOB) industry continues to expand.

Lithium dioxaloborate (LiBOB), also known as lithium dioxalate borate and lithium dioxalate borate, has a molecular formula of C4BLiO8 and is a chemical substance. Lithium dioxaloborate appears as white powder and is soluble in solvents such as ethylene carbonate, propylene carbonate, and acetonitrile. Lithium dioxaloborate has the advantages of good thermal stability, good film formation, good electrochemical stability, and good conductivity. As a new lithium salt, it is widely used in the field of lithium battery electrolyte.

The upstream of the lithium dioxaloborate industry chain supplies raw materials. Oxalic acid, boric acid and lithium hydroxide are the main raw materials of lithium dioxaloborate. Taking boric acid and lithium hydroxide as examples, my country’s boric acid production will reach 140,000 tons and lithium hydroxide production will reach 290,000 tons in 2022. The sufficient supply of raw materials has laid a good foundation for the development of my country’s lithium dioxalate borate industry.

The midstream of the lithium dioxalatoborate industrial chain is product preparation, and its preparation methods include aqueous phase synthesis and solid phase synthesis. The aqueous phase synthesis method refers to using oxalic acid, boric acid oxide, lithium carbonate or lithium hydroxide as the main raw materials, using tetrahydrofuran, water, and toluene solution as the reaction medium, and finally producing granular dioxalic acid through processes such as dissolution, stirring, heating, and distillation. Lithium borate, this method has a simple production process, but has disadvantages such as easy contamination and poor purity of the finished product. The solid-phase synthesis method has the advantages of good finished product quality, green and environmental protection, and is suitable for industrial production. It is the mainstream preparation method of lithium dioxaloborate.

According to the “2023-2028 China Lithium Dioxalate Borate (LiBOB) Industry Market In-depth Research and Development Prospects Forecast Report》shows that the downstream of the lithium dioxaloborate industry chain is the application field, and lithium battery electrolyte is its largest demand end. The new lithium salts include lithium dioxaloborate, lithium trifluoromethanesulfonimide and lithium bisfluorosulfonimide. Lithium dioxaloborate has the advantages of non-toxic, non-polluting, good thermal stability, and good electrochemical stability. It can improve the high-temperature performance of lithium batteries and the conductivity of electrolyte. In 2022, my country’s electrolyte production will reach 913,000 tons, a year-on-year increase of 85.6%. Driven by market demand, the development space of my country’s lithium dioxaloborate industry will be further expanded.

The main players in my country’s lithium dioxalate borate market include Shenzhen Xinzhoubang Technology Co., Ltd., Nantong Hehui New Energy Materials Co., Ltd., Jiangsu Ruitai New Energy Materials Co., Ltd., Guangdong Tianji Electric Co., Ltd., etc. Xinzhoubang is the leading enterprise of lithium dioxaloborate in my country. Currently, the company is promoting the integrated layout of lithium difluoroborate, lithium dioxaloborate, FEC, VC and other lithium battery additives.

Industry analysts said that lithium dioxalate borate has excellent performance and is expected to become an important raw material for lithium battery electrolyte in the future. In recent years, driven by positive factors such as strong market demand, the development of my country’s lithium battery industry has accelerated, creating a broad market space for lithium dioxaloborate. It is expected that in the future, with the continuous improvement of technology level, my country’s lithium dioxalate borate market penetration rate will further increase.