Lithium tetrafluoroborate is a high-quality electrolyte with huge market potential in the future.

Lithium tetrafluoroborate, the molecular formula is LiBF4, appears as white or slightly yellow powder, melting point is 293-300℃, chemically stable, corrosive, easily soluble in water, highly hygroscopic, soluble in ethers and carbonates solvents such as γ-butyrolactone and γ-butyrolactone. Lithium tetrafluoroborate is mainly used as an electrolyte for lithium-ion batteries.

According to the “In-depth Market Research and Investment Strategy Suggestions Report on Lithium Tetrafluoroborate Industry 2022-2026” released by the Industrial Research Center, Lithium tetrafluoroborate can be used as a catalyst for the ammonolysis of ethylene oxide; lithium tetrafluoroborate is a mild Lewis acid that can be used in the Diels-Alder reaction; due to its good thermal stability, it is not sensitive to environmental moisture and has high purity ≥99.9% lithium tetrafluoroborate can be used as electrolyte for primary or secondary lithium-ion batteries, which can improve the performance of lithium-ion batteries, such as improving the high and low temperature resistance of the battery, broadening its operating temperature range, and improving the battery’s Cycle life and safety of use; lithium tetrafluoroborate can also be used with γ-butyrolactone in a certain proportion to further improve the performance of the electrolyte.

Electrolyte is the carrier for transmitting ions between the positive and negative electrodes in lithium-ion batteries. It is an important component of lithium-ion batteries. Its quality directly affects battery performance. In 2020, my country’s lithium-ion battery electrolyte shipments exceeded 250,000 tons, and it is estimated that it will reach 320,000 tons in 2021. At present, lithium ion battery electrolyte mainly uses lithium hexafluorophosphate (LiBF6), which has the advantages of fast charge and discharge speed, strong applicability, and high safety, but its thermal stability is poor. New electrolytes with better performance can form substitute.

Industry analysts said that as the functional integration of electronic products continues to increase, energy consumption continues to increase, and the development trend of miniaturization is superimposed. The market The requirements for the volume, energy density, charge and discharge performance, cycle life, and safety of lithium-ion batteries are constantly increasing; at the same time, a high proportion of new energy vehicle power batteries use lithium-ion batteries, and the market has high requirements for battery capacity, voltage, and thermal stability. , self-discharge and other performance requirements continue to increase. Lithium tetrafluoroborate can improve the performance of lithium-ion batteries. Compared with lithium hexafluorophosphate, lithium tetrafluoroborate has better thermal stability and chemical stability. It is expected to replace its use and has a large market space in the future.

Lithium tetrafluoroborate can be prepared by aqueous solution method, gas-solid reaction method, etc. In comparison, battery-grade lithium tetrafluoroborate has higher requirements on product purity, moisture content, etc. In the Chinese market, the main manufacturers of lithium tetrafluoroborate include Suzhou Fosai New Materials Co., Ltd., Polyfluoro New Materials Co., Ltd., and Shanghai Zhongli Industrial Co., Ltd. As markets such as new energy vehicles, mobile terminals, power tools, and wireless home appliances continue to grow, my country’s lithium-ion battery shipments will be close to 159GWh in 2020, and still maintain a rapid upward trend. Lithium tetrafluoroborate is a traditional lithium-ion battery. It is an excellent substitute for electrolyte lithium hexafluorophosphate and has broad future development prospects.