On January 17, China's leading manufacturer of carbon nanotubes, graphene, and lithium battery conductive paste JSTN Nanotechnology released a performance forecast. The company's net profit attributable to shareholders of listed companies in 2019 will be approximately 215 million, the same period as the previous year Compared to this, it will increase by about RMB 47,769,500, an increase of about 71% year-on-year.
All along, China's power lithium battery conductive agent has been dependent on imports. With the new conductive agent product-carbon nanotubes, JSTN Nanotechnology has embarked on the road to challenge traditional conductive agent companies, not only broke the monopoly of foreign companies on traditional conductive agents, but also sounded the horn of "counterattack" to enter the world.
Powerful technical team starts the journey of mass production of carbon nanotubes
The highly-educated entrepreneurial team headed by Chairman Zheng Tao is mostly from technical personnel. He has a Ph.D. in physics and chemistry and relevant work experience in lithium batteries at home and abroad. His comprehensive quality is relatively high.
After graduating from a post-doctorate in physics, Zheng Tao worked in well-known enterprises such as Willec Energy, Telcordia / Bellcore, and A123 System. In fact, during his PhD study, Zheng Tao's research direction was related to lithium battery materials. In 1995, he published a paper on "Lithium Intercalation Mechanism in Carbon Materials" in the journal Science.
While working at Bell Communications Institute, his department happened to be the Lithium Battery Group. Then he entered A123 Systems, a well-known lithium iron phosphate company in the United States. During the research of lithium battery applications, the team where Zheng Tao had tried to use carbon nanotubes as a conductive material.
The rich experience of the lithium battery industry has provided deep soil for the success of Tiannai Technology. In cooperation with Professor Wei Fei's team at Tsinghua University to industrialize carbon nanotubes and use them in the field of lithium batteries, the "industrial resources + university technology" cooperation model has put Tiannai Technology on the fast-track.
Before the appearance of new conductive agents such as carbon nanotubes, traditional conductive agents such as carbon black, conductive graphite and VGCF have been used in lithium batteries for many years, and the technology is mature. However, the mainstream traditional conductive agents on the market such as SP, acetylene black, Ketjen Black, KS, etc. mainly come from Cabot, U.S. Tigao, Swiss Lion, Japanese Electrochemical, etc. China has long In a state of dependence on imports.
Returning to China to start a business and breaking the monopoly of foreign companies on traditional lithium battery conductive agents has always been Zheng Tao's dream. And Zheng Tao is obviously more ambitious. He wants to produce a new type of conductive agent to allow Chinese brands to overtake in corners. Therefore, he focused on carbon nanotubes.
As a nano-level basic material, carbon nanotubes have been a research hotspot in the fields of chemistry and materials science since their discovery due to their excellent properties. However, subject to the difficulties of continuous macro preparation, carbon nanotubes cannot be effectively commercialized for a long time.
The team of Professor Wei Fei of Tsinghua University "Basic research on batch preparation of high-purity carbon nanotubes based on the principle of nano-aggregate fluidization" provides a theoretical method for the continuous preparation of carbon nanotubes in large quantities, which was obtained in January 2006 First Prize of Natural Science of Ministry of Education.
In 2007, the Zheng Tao team officially cooperated with Professor Wei Fei to obtain the exclusive right to use the above-mentioned related invention patents. After nearly 5 years of research, the Zheng Tao team has finally developed and mastered the industrialization technology of nano-aggregate fluidized bed macro preparation of carbon nanotubes, which has completely solved the worldwide problem of continuous production of carbon nanotubes in macro preparation.
In 2008, JSTN Nano Technology Co., Ltd. was formally established, and since then began the journey of mass production of carbon nanotubes.
High-tech barriers, becoming China's leading carbon nanotube in 8 years
In recent years, the market share of carbon nanotubes as a new conductive agent in lithium battery conductive agents has increased year by year. In 2018, the domestic market share of JSTN nanotechnology has reached 31.8%, which is more than doubled from 2014, and the future will still be Upward trend.
This achievement stems from the superior performance of carbon nanotube products and the company's outstanding R & D strength
JSTN is the world's first international standard editor and release unit for carbon nanotube slurry, and the hidden champion of China's carbon nanotube industry.
Carbon nanotubes are tubular nano-scale graphite crystals, which are seamless nano-scale tubular structures formed by single-layer or multi-layer graphene layers curled around a central axis at a certain spiral angle. Compared with traditional conductive agents, carbon nanotubes have better conductivity.
Under the same conductive effect, the amount of carbon nanotube conductive agent is only 1/6 to 1/2 of the traditional conductive agent, which greatly improves the energy density of the lithium battery. In addition, carbon nanotubes can maintain good electron and ion conduction during the cycle of the lithium battery, thereby greatly improving the cycle life of the lithium battery.
As one of the first companies to introduce carbon nanotubes into lithium batteries through conductive pastes, JSTN Nanotechnology has been committed to the promotion of the application of carbon nanotube conductive agents in lithium batteries in recent years.
"During the development and promotion process, we mainly solve the three major problems of cost, dispersion of carbon nanotubes, and downstream application problems." Zheng Tao said that the advantages of carbon nanotubes are obvious, but only cost reduction and mass production In order to truly enter the lithium battery market.
As we all know, the key factor that determines product performance (conductivity) is the aspect ratio of carbon nanotubes and carbon purity. The higher the carbon purity, the thinner the carbon nanotube diameter and the longer the length, the better the conductivity.
Zheng Tao said that the related performance of Tiannai's second-generation carbon nanotube products has been in a leading position in the country, and the third-generation products have further improved the length-to-diameter ratio of carbon nanotubes and improved their Conductive properties, and in the process of upgrading, Tiannai Technology has mastered more independent research and development technologies and gradually got rid of the dependence on university technology authorization.
In the early stage of the promotion of carbon nanotubes as a conductive agent in lithium batteries, materials companies generally supply carbon nanotubes directly to lithium battery manufacturers in powder form for trial, but the conductive effect is not ideal. Zheng Tao explained that this form of carbon nanotubes is not effectively dispersed in the lithium battery electrode material, and the carbon nanotubes in the agglomerated state greatly reduce their conductive properties.
In order to solve the dispersion problem of carbon nanotubes, JSTN nanotechnology R & D personnel conducted a lot of research and development experiments, using a variety of dispersion equipment including high-speed dispersers, colloid mills, homogenizers, ultrasonic equipment, etc., and finally successfully selected a suitable dispersant , Dispersion method and equipment, the carbon nanotubes are introduced into the lithium battery in the form of slurry, so as to achieve industrial production.
"Carbon nanotubes can be quickly produced on a large scale and quickly open the market, thanks to the right place and the people." Zheng Tao lamented. An excellent R & D team and good products have met the rapid development of China's lithium battery industry. Since 2014, JSTN nanotechnology has developed rapidly.
Zheng Tao said that JSTN Nanotechnology currently has a number of high-quality customers such as BYD, CATL Ningde Times, New Energy Technology, Lishen, Xinwanda, etc. The company is also stepping towards the leading position in the domestic carbon nanotube conductive agent market.
On September 25, 2019, JSTN Nanotechnology was successfully listed on the Shanghai Stock Exchange.
Counterattack the overseas market and become the trend leader of the new conductive agent in the world
After sitting firmly in the leading position in the domestic carbon nanotube conductive agent market, Zheng Tao did not stop the pace of development. Opening up a "new battlefield" is his next goal.
"Our development strategy is advanced from three levels, from the lithium battery itself, from the positive electrode to the negative electrode; from the industry, from the lithium battery to the conductive plastic market development; from the geographical point of view, from domestic to foreign expansion.
In addition to continuing to consolidate its advantages in the field of lithium batteries, JSTN Nanotechnology is also actively deploying the application of carbon nanotube products in other fields. The application of carbon nanotube conductive masterbatch products in the field of carbon-based filled conductive plastics is one of them.
Zheng Tao said that JSTN Nanotechnology has cooperated with well-known international chemical companies such as SABIC, Total, Clariant and Polyone. The carbon nanotube conductive masterbatch developed by it has achieved mass production and small supply, especially in cooperation with SABIC The intention has entered the substantive supply quotation stage, and it is expected to be applied to the field of conductive plastics on a large scale in the future.
In 2018, the output of the global conductive plastics market exceeded 240,000 tons, a year-on-year increase of 9.3%. Driven by the downstream market, the global carbon nanotube conductive masterbatch production exceeded 30,000 tons in 2018, a year-on-year increase of 7.4%, and the output value exceeded 4 billion yuan. If JSTN Nanotechnology can serve as a supplier to "break through" the field of conductive plastics, this will become a new business growth point for Tennesee.
In the field of chip manufacturing, carbon nanotubes are equally useful.
American companies have successfully developed a new type of non-volatile nano memory (NRAM) based on carbon nanotubes for information storage. In September 2017, JSTN Nanotechnology began to cooperate with the company, and its high-purity carbon nanotube products have begun to send samples for testing.
In addition to developing new areas, developing overseas markets for existing products can also become a business growth point for Tenneco.
At present, the main demand for carbon nanotube conductive paste for power lithium batteries comes from the domestic market, and the development of new energy vehicles is a global consensus.
Not long ago, Norway, Finland, Germany, the United Kingdom, and France respectively announced a total ban on the sale of fuel vehicles from 2025 to 2040. As countries around the world actively formulate timetables for traditional fuel vehicles, the overseas carbon nanotube slurry market for power lithium batteries is expected to rise with the growth of the new energy vehicle market.
As a large-scale production and market-proven JSTN nanotechnology carbon nanotube conductive tube slurry, there is an opportunity to realize the "reverse output" of domestic leading new material products to overseas.
In this sense, Tiannai Technology, which has new material carbon nanotubes, is expected to change the pattern of traditional conductive agents for lithium batteries in new energy vehicles and lead the global “trend” of conductive agents.
JSTN Nanotechnology Company is mainly engaged in the research, development, production and sales of nano-scale carbon materials and related products. It is a high-tech enterprise with independent research and development and innovation capabilities. The company's products include carbon nanotube powder, carbon nanotube conductive paste, graphene composite conductive paste, carbon nanotube conductive master batch, etc. At present, the company is the largest carbon nanotube manufacturer in China, and is at the global leading level in the field of carbon nanotubes and related composite materials. In addition, the company is the drafting unit of two domestic industry standards such as carbon nanotube conductive paste. At the same time, the international standard of carbon nanotube conductive paste (ISO / TS 19808) formulated by JSTN Nanotechnology as the Chinese representative will soon be announced.
Carbon nanotube powder
Carbon nanotube conductive paste. In the field of lithium batteries, carbon nanotubes are widely used by lithium battery manufacturers as a new type of conductive agent due to their superior conductivity. They are used to increase the energy density of lithium batteries and improve cycle life.