Beijing-based Pulead has joined up with the Belgian company Prayon in the manufacture and sale of lithium iron phosphate (LFP) specifically for the manufacture of cathodes.
It has also signed a licensing agreement with Prayon’s JV partner Umicore, which has begun researching nickel manganese cobalt (NMC) and lithium cobaltite (LCO) materials for cathodes.
Under the agreement, Pulead has non-exclusive rights to use Umicore’s materials in lithium-ion batteries for portable electronics applications such as smartphones, tablets and notebooks.
Pulead specialises in battery cathodes, and with its subsidiary Pride Power also manufactures large format battery packs for automotive and energy storage applications.
As such, the company is well aware of the burgeoning demand for lithium-ion as applications increasingly switch to the chemistry from lead-acid, and with it, the need for new materials in many other battery components.
