POSCO Future M计划2028年量产钠离子电池硬碳负极材料

POSCO Future M will begin mass producing hard carbon anode material, a core material for sodium-ion batteries, in 2028. It is the second company in South Korea, after Aekyung Chemical, to disclose plans for both the development and mass production of hard carbon anode material.
According to industry sources on July 24, POSCO Future M recently drew up its development plans for battery cathode and anode materials as well as its next-generation materials strategy. The development status and mass production plans for hard carbon anode material for sodium-ion batteries were included for the first time.
POSCO Future M plans to complete development of the hard carbon anode material by the third quarter of 2027 and begin mass production in 2028. It expects that rather than fully replacing lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries, sodium-ion batteries will broaden their range of use mainly in fields requiring low-temperature environments and long life. South Korean battery makers including LG Energy Solution and Samsung SDI are also developing sodium-ion batteries aimed at low-temperature, long-duration energy storage systems (ESS).
Sodium-ion batteries are next-generation batteries that use sodium (Na) instead of lithium (Li). Sodium is abundant on Earth, making raw material procurement easier than for lithium, with relatively smaller price fluctuations. The basic structure, consisting of a cathode, anode, electrolyte and separator, is the same as that of lithium-ion batteries, but the component materials differ. Cathode materials use sodium iron phosphate (NFPP) or nickel-iron-manganese (NFM), while hard carbon is mainly applied in place of graphite for the anode material. The electrolyte also uses sodium salts dissolved in an organic solvent.
The reason the anode material changes is the size of the sodium atom. Sodium atoms are about 2.5 times larger than lithium atoms and more than three times heavier. Ordinary graphite has narrow spacing between layers, making it difficult for the larger sodium ions to move in and out freely.
Hard carbon, by contrast, has a wide interlayer structure and fine pores inside that can stably store sodium ions. Its structural deformation is also relatively small even after repeated charging and discharging. Hard carbon costs more than three times as much as graphite, but a substantial portion of that cost burden can be offset because aluminum foil, priced at about one-third the cost of conventional copper foil, can be used as the current collector.
POSCO Future M plans to mass produce hard carbon using its existing anode material production lines. Existing equipment such as heat-treatment furnaces, reactors and slurry processes can be partially adapted, reducing the burden of new investment.
Market research firms forecast that global sodium-ion battery shipments will exceed 70 gigawatt-hours (GWh) in 2028. Producing 1 GWh of batteries requires about 1,500 tons of hard carbon anode material. On that basis, demand for hard carbon anode material in 2028 is estimated to exceed 100,000 tons. China has already taken the lead in the supply chain.
The companies currently mass producing hard carbon anode material are Chinese firms including BTR, Shanshan and Zhongke Electric. These companies are also among the global leaders in the graphite anode material market. China's hard carbon production capacity is estimated at 80,000 to 90,000 tons a year. In South Korea, Aekyung Chemical was the first to disclose plans for hard carbon mass production. It is building a pilot line with annual capacity of 1,300 tons, targeting completion within this year.
Besides hard carbon, POSCO Future M also unveiled a development roadmap for other next-generation battery materials, including LFP cathode material, lithium manganese-rich (LMR) cathode material and silicon anode material. It will convert part of its cathode production lines in Pohang for LFP use, produce prototypes this year and start mass production in the second half. In 2029, it will build an LFP cathode production system applying raw materials from within the group and its own processes. For anode materials, it will also expand its product lineup to include natural and artificial graphite and silicon anode materials to respond to changes in the electric vehicle and ESS markets.