Finding
Electrolyte and separator capacity is concentrated in a handful of Chinese chemical firms, and the fluorine chain behind LiPF6 is the deeper dependency
Liquid electrolyte is lithium hexafluorophosphate (LiPF6) dissolved in ethylene, dimethyl and ethyl methyl carbonates, with additives such as vinylene carbonate (VC) and fluoroethylene carbonate (FEC) that build a stable anode interphase. The separator is a microporous polyethylene or polypropylene film that keeps the electrodes apart and shuts down at high temperature. Chinese producers make most of both: Tinci, Capchem and Guotai-Huarong in electrolyte, SEMCORP (Yunnan Energy New Material), Senior Technology and Sinoma in separators.
LiPF6 depends on hydrofluoric acid made from fluorspar, a chain China dominates from mine to salt (Do-Fluoride, Tinci, Tianjin Jinniu). Outside China, Korea's Enchem, Soulbrain and Dongwha, and Japan's Mitsubishi Chemical and Central Glass supply electrolyte; Enchem and Soulbrain built US plants to serve Korean cell makers. In separators, Asahi Kasei (Hipore, and Celgard in Charlotte, North Carolina), Toray, SK IE Technology and W-Scope are the main non-Chinese producers, and Entek is the only US-owned wet-process separator maker at scale, in Lebanon, Oregon.
Change here is incremental. High-voltage additive packages, fast-charge formulations that suppress lithium plating, and LiFSI salt blends extend liquid electrolytes; ceramic-coated films raise shrink temperature. Semi-solid and solid electrolytes from QuantumScape, Solid Power, Toyota, CATL and WeLion remain pre-volume for EVs.
The plant tables below list 60 electrolyte, separator and support-material sites from the ElectronsX dataset; Chinese plants abroad (Tinci in Morocco, SEMCORP in Hungary, Senior in Sweden) are listed alongside the Korean, Japanese and US suppliers.
Electrolytes
Electrolyte types
Liquid carbonate electrolytes fill nearly every EV cell made today.
| Type | Composition | Advantages | Constraints |
|---|---|---|---|
| Liquid | LiPF6 (or LiFSI blends) in carbonate solvents | Mature, high ionic conductivity, cheap | Flammable; moisture-sensitive; voltage window near 4.3-4.4 V |
| Gel and polymer | PEO or PVDF-based gels | Better leak resistance and mechanical stability | Lower conductivity; scaling |
| Semi-solid | Liquid plus solid electrolyte fraction | Improved safety; uses most existing line steps | Early volume in China (WeLion, NIO pack) |
| Solid-state | Sulfide, oxide or polymer solids | Non-flammable; enables lithium-metal anodes | Interfacial resistance; dry-room and pressing demands; cost |
Separators
Separator types
Separator design sets internal resistance, puncture resistance and thermal shutdown.
| Type | Material | Advantages | Constraints |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wet-process polyolefin | Biaxially stretched PE | Thin and strong; dominant in EV cells | Shrinks near 130 C without coating |
| Dry-process polyolefin | Uniaxially stretched PP or PP/PE/PP | Low cost; good for LFP and BESS | Thicker; lower puncture strength |
| Ceramic-coated | PE or PP with alumina or boehmite coating | Higher shrink temperature; safer | Added coating step and cost |
| Solid separators | Oxide, sulfide or composite layers | Supports solid-state designs | Not commercially scaled |
Support materials
Electrode support materials
Binders, conductive additives and coatings are a few percent of cell mass and set processability.
| Material | Examples | Function | Constraints |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conductive additives | Carbon black, carbon nanotubes, graphene | Electronic conductivity in electrode mixes | Dispersion; cost (nanotubes) |
| Electrolyte additives | VC, FEC, LiDFOB | Stable SEI, less gassing, longer life | Tight formulation control |
| Binders | PVDF (cathode), SBR/CMC (anode), PTFE (dry electrode) | Hold active particles on foil | NMP solvent recovery for PVDF; PFAS scrutiny |
| Current collectors | Aluminum foil (cathode), copper foil (anode) | Carry current; thinner foil raises energy density | Copper foil capacity concentrated in China and Korea |
| Coatings | Alumina, titania, polymer films | Stabilize separator and electrode surfaces | Added process steps |
Electrolyte plants
Electrolyte manufacturers and plants
Electrolyte, lithium salt and solvent plants supplying lithium-ion cell makers. Status order: operational, ramping, under construction, announced, paused, cancelled, closed.
| Company and plant | Product | Location | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Huizhou Electrolyte Base (Capchem) | Liquid electrolyte | Huizhou, China | operational |
| Multiple China Plants (Guangzhou Tinci Materials) | Electrolytes and additives | China | operational |
| European Electrolyte Lines (BASF) | Battery electrolytes | Ludwigshafen, Germany | operational |
| Hungary Electrolyte Plant (Enchem) | Liquid electrolyte | Komarom, Hungary | operational |
| Electrolyte Plants Japan (Mitsubishi Chemical) | Liquid electrolyte | Japan | operational |
| Poland Electrolyte Plant (Capchem) | Liquid electrolyte | Wroclaw region, Poland | operational |
| Korea and Europe Plants (Enchem) | Liquid electrolyte | Cheonan, South Korea | operational |
| Korea Electrolyte Plants (Soulbrain) | Liquid electrolyte | Gumi, South Korea | operational |
| R&D and Production Facility (Ampcera) | Solid state electrolyte | Tucson, USA | operational |
| Aqualith (Aqualith Advanced Materials) | Aqueous electrolyte | College Park, USA | operational |
| Geismar (BASF) | Solvents | Geismar, USA | operational |
| Battery Innovation Center (BrightVolt) | Polymer Electrolyte | Newberry, USA | operational |
| Ivanhoe Road Plant (Current Chemicals) | Liquid electrolyte | Cleveland, USA | operational |
| Clarksville Electrolyte Plant (Dongwha Electrolyte) | Liquid electrolyte | Clarksville, USA | operational |
| Enchem Georgia (Enchem America) | Liquid electrolyte | Commerce, USA | operational |
| Buffalo Research Lab (Honeywell International) | Liquid electrolyte | Buffalo, USA | operational |
| Conroe Plant (Huntsman Petrochemical) | Solvents | Conroe, USA | operational |
| Memphis Plant (Mitsubishi Chemical America) | Liquid electrolyte | Memphis, USA | operational |
| Northville Plant (Soulbrain MI) | Liquid electrolyte | Northville, USA | operational |
| San Diego Plant (South 8 Technologies) | Liquefied gas electrolyte | San Diego, USA | operational |
| LIPF6 Manufacturing Plant (Koura - Orbia) | LiPF6 (lithium hexafluorophosphate) | St. Gabriel, USA | under construction |
| Morocco Electrolyte and Lithium Salt Plant (Tinci (Guangzhou Tinci Materials)) | Liquid electrolyte and LiPF6 | Jorf Lasfar, Morocco | announced |
Separator plants
Separator manufacturers and plants
Wet- and dry-process separator film plants worldwide.
| Company and plant | Product | Location | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| China Separator Plants (Shenzhen Senior Technology Material) | Ceramic-coated separators | Shenzhen, China | operational |
| China Separator Bases (Yunnan Energy New Material (Semcorp)) | Wet and dry process separators | China | operational |
| Nyergesujfalu Separator Plant (LG Toray Hungary Battery Separator) | Ceramic-coated wet-process separator | Nyergesujfalu, Hungary | operational |
| Debrecen Separator Plant (SEMCORP (Yunnan Energy New Material)) | Wet-process separator film | Debrecen, Hungary | operational |
| Hipore Separator Plants (Asahi Kasei) | Polyolefin separators (Hipore) | Japan | operational |
| Separator Production Japan (Toray Industries) | Polyolefin separators | Japan | operational |
| Poland Separator Plant (SK IE Technology (SKIET)) | Wet-process polyolefin separators | Dabrowa Gornicza, Poland | operational |
| Korea Separator Plants (SK IE Technology (SKIET)) | Wet-process polyolefin separators | Cheongju, South Korea | operational |
| Celgard - Charlotte (Celgard (Asahi Kasei)) | Separators | Charlotte, USA | operational |
| Celgard - Concord (Celgard (Asahi Kasei)) | Separators | Concord, USA | operational |
| Lebanon Plant (Entek) | PE separators (wet process) | Lebanon, USA | operational |
| Port Colborne Separator Plant (Asahi Kasei) | Polyolefin separators (Hipore) | Port Colborne, Canada | under construction |
| Eskilstuna Separator Plant (Senior Technology Material) | Wet-process and coated separator | Eskilstuna, Sweden | paused |
| Clarksville Plant (Microvast) | Separators | Clarksville, USA | cancelled |
Support material plants
Support material manufacturers and plants
Binder, conductive additive, current-collector foil and electrode material plants.
| Company and plant | Product | Location | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tatabanya Copper Foil Plant (Solus Advanced Materials) | Electrodeposited copper foil | Tatabanya, Hungary | operational |
| PVDF Production Europe (Solvay) | PVDF binders (Solef) | Spinetta Marengo, Italy | operational |
| Copper Foil Plants Japan (Furukawa Electric) | Electrodeposited copper foil | Japan | operational |
| PVDF Binder Plants Japan (Kureha) | PVDF binders (KF Polymer) | Nishiki, Japan | operational |
| Kota Kinabalu Copper Foil Plant (SK Nexilis) | Electrodeposited copper foil | Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia | operational |
| Korea Copper Foil Plants (Lotte Energy Materials (formerly Iljin Materials)) | Electrodeposited copper foil | Iksan, South Korea | operational |
| Copper Foil Plants Taiwan (Nan Ya Plastics (Formosa)) | Rolled and ED copper foil | Taiwan | operational |
| Arkema - Bostik Adhesives (Arkema) | Adhesives | Wauwatosa, USA | operational |
| Arkema - Calvert City manufacturing plant (Arkema) | Binders | Calvert City, USA | operational |
| Birla Carbon (Birla Carbon) | Conductive carbon black | Centerville, USA | operational |
| Black Diamond Campus (Black Diamond Structures) | Additives | Austin, USA | operational |
| Cabot Pampa (Cabot) | Additives | Pampa, USA | operational |
| Daikin Battery Plant (Daikin America) | Additives | Decatur, USA | operational |
| Camden Plant (Denkai America) | Copper foil | Camden, USA | operational |
| Wilmington Plant (DuPont) | Additives | Wilmington, USA | operational |
| Beech Island Plant (Halocarbon) | Additives | Beech Island, USA | operational |
| Sacramento Plant (LI-CAP Technologies) | Other | Sacramento, USA | operational |
| Saegertown Plant (Parker LORD) | Adhesives | Saegertown, USA | operational |
| Pittsburgh Plant (PPG) | Other | Pittsburgh, USA | operational |
| Ashland Plant (Schlenk Metallfolien) | Rolled copper and nickel anode foils and tabs | Ashland, USA | operational |
| Augusta Plant (Syensqo (formerly Solvay Specialty Polymers)) | PVDF binder (Solef) | Augusta, USA | operational |
| Washington Works (The Chemours Company) | Binders | Washington, USA | operational |
| Evanston Plant (Volexion) | Graphene coating | Evanston, USA | operational |
| Morocco Copper Foil Plant (Hailiang) | Copper foil | Tangier, Morocco | under construction |
Sources
Sources and scope
- Scope
- Battery Electrolytes and Separators
- Sources
- Company disclosures; IEA critical minerals reports; ElectronsX electrolyte and separator dataset
- Updated
- October 2026