Battery additives firm Cabot has added carbon nanotubes (CNTs) to its lithium-ion energy storage materials portfolio following the $115 million acquisition of Shenzhen Sanshun Nano New Materials (SUSN) on April 1.
The US firm has finalised all registration procedures related to the acquisition, which was first announced on 6 January when Cabot entered into an agreement to buy the China CNT producer SUSN.
With this acquisition, the Massachusetts-based firm becomes a carbon additive supplier with commercially proven carbon black, CNT, carbon nanostructure and dispersion capabilities.
Jeff Zhu, senior vice president and president, Performance Additives business at Cabot, said: “The addition of SUSN’s CNT technology complements our already strong portfolio of conductive carbon products, and creates significant opportunity to deliver new innovative formulated solutions for improved battery performance for the rapidly growing energy-storage market.
“We look forward to collaborating with them to strengthen our global leadership position in carbon additives.”
Cabot expects the combination of its energy materials portfolio and SUSN (which had a annual revenue of $28 million last year) will create a business opportunity worth around $50 million.
Revenue is expected to grow at a rate of 20-25% over the next five years from the continued growth in electric vehicles markets and other lithium-ion battery storage applications, a company statement read.
Cabot’s product offering in the energy storage field now includes base conductive carbon black, advanced conductive carbon black, graphenes, carbon nanotubes, highly branched carbon nanostructures and other performance additives such as fumed alumina and fumed silica.
In a customer letter, the company’s Jim Makuc, VP & GM Energy Materials, said: “The addition of SUSN enhances our ability to develop and supply conductive additive formulations to meet the ever-advancing performance needs in batteries with blends of carbon nanotubes, carbon blacks and various other conductive agents.
“We are committed to leveraging our global footprint, operation know-how and dedication to quality to be a reliable and trusted partner for the supply of carbon nanotubes and carbon black in powder and dispersion form.”
