Pilot production system underway
Commercialization targeted for late next year
SK Nexilis, the copper foil unit backed by SKC's secondary battery investment arm, announced Tuesday it has successfully developed "high-adhesion carbon-coated copper foil" technology, a key material for next-generation batteries.
The technology applies a specialized carbon coating to the surface of copper foil to suppress the volumetric expansion of silicon anode materials, improving electrode stability. It addresses a growing industry trend of increasing silicon content in anodes to boost energy density — a shift that makes maintaining strong adhesion between the anode material and the copper foil increasingly critical.
The newly developed copper foil is also compatible with dry electrode processing, a next-generation battery manufacturing method drawing growing attention in the industry. SKC expects strong demand from that segment as well, given that adhesion between electrode materials and copper foil is equally critical in dry-process applications.
To prepare for full-scale mass production, SK Nexilis is building a pilot production system for the high-adhesion carbon-coated copper foil. The company is currently verifying process stability and plans to secure the technology needed for mass production, targeting commercialization in the second half of 2027.
"The development of this high-adhesion carbon-coated copper foil is a result of our efforts to respond to technological shifts in the next-generation battery market — including the expansion of high-silicon-content anode materials and the introduction of dry electrode processing," a company official said. "We will proceed with commercialization optimization without delay, while continuing to develop new technologies to strengthen our competitiveness in the next-generation battery materials market."
klee@heraldcorp.com
