YoulChon Chemical was in talks to supply lithium-ion battery pouch to Samsung SDI, TheElec has learned.
The chemical firm’s pouch film has recently secured quality approval from the South Korean battery maker.
The film will be used in Samsung’s newly developed small battery.
YoulChon will be supplying the films for commercial products starting next year the earliest.
The pair will also collaborate in research and developed for pouch films.
Small batteries are used in smartphones, tablets, notebooks, wearable and other mobile devices.
Prismatic batteries shaped like squares were mostly used up to the feature phone era. However, most small batteries have changed to be embedded in device for design and advantages in energy density. These batteries use pouch films.
Around 60% of Samsung SDI’s sales from batteries is thought to come from small batteries.
Most of the sales come from cylinder batteries that are placed in cans. Pouch batteries accounts for little in Samsung SDI’s sales as of yet.
The Korean firm also relied on imports from Japan for all the pouch film it uses. Having YoulChon as a supplier will allow Samsung SDI to reduce cost of the films.
YoulChon was also in talks with LG Energy Solution. However, its films have received a B rating from LG. D is the lowest rating in LG’s quality testing. LG has insisted that it will only use A rating products.
This was from LG’s wish to use the films for an upcoming new battery product, not for electric car batteries. B rating suffices for current electric car batteries.
Pouch film accounts for around 10% of the cost of pouch batteries. It is made from materials such as nylon, aluminum and polypropylene. It is made out of seven to eight layers, and have varying structures and thickness depending on whether it is being applied for small or large batteries.
Besides YoulChon, Korea Aluminum and BTL Advanced Material also makes pouch films for batteries.