1、What is Kuraray activated carbon powder

Activated carbon, as an adsorption material with a highly developed pore structure and a huge specific surface area, is usually prepared using carbon-containing materials as raw materials, such as coconut shells, coal, and wood. These raw materials, after undergoing high-temperature carbonization and activation treatment, have formed rich microporous, mesoporous and macroporous structures, endowing activated carbon with strong adsorption capacity.

Kurare Company has profound technical accumulation and rich experience in the field of activated carbon production. The "Kuraray coal" YP series activated carbon powder produced from coconut shells is the industry standard product for high-performance electronic double-layer capacitors (EDLC). This series of products is designed to demonstrate outstanding performance, high reliability and stable quality. Different types of Curare activated carbon powder, such as YP-50F, YP-80F, etc., have specific performance parameters to meet the requirements of different application scenarios.

2、Characteristics of Curare activated carbon powder

(1) Physical properties

High specific surface area: The specific surface area of Curare activated carbon powder can usually reach 1000-2500 m²/g or even higher. For example, the specific surface area of the YP-50F model is 1692m²/g, and that of the YP - 80F model is as high as 2271m²/g. The huge specific surface area means that activated carbon powder has more adsorption sites, which can fully contact the adsorbed substances, thereby significantly improving the adsorption efficiency.

Appropriate particle size: The particle size distribution of Curare activated carbon powder has been carefully controlled. Take YP-50F as an example. Its particle size was measured by the laser diffraction scattering method. The particle size of d10 was 1.9μm, that of d50 was 5.6μm, and that of d90 was 9.7μm. This fine particle size distribution enables activated carbon powder to exhibit excellent fluidity and dispersibility in various applications, especially in liquid adsorption scenarios, where it can quickly combine with impurities in the liquid to achieve efficient purification.

Lower bulk density: Bulk density is an important indicator for measuring the looseness of activated carbon powder. Curare activated carbon powder has a relatively low bulk density. For example, the bulk density of YP-50F is 0.3g/ml and that of YP - 80F is 0.18g/ml. This characteristic not only helps to give full play to the role of the pore structure during the adsorption process, but also reduces the transportation and storage costs to a certain extent.

3、The application of Kulare Activated Carbon Powder in the field of lithium battery manufacturing

(1) Optimization of electrode materials

In the preparation process of lithium battery electrode materials, Curare activated carbon powder is an important additive for improving performance. Lithium battery electrode materials need to have good electrical conductivity and a large specific surface area to promote the rapid intercalation and deintercalation of lithium ions. The high specific surface area and unique pore structure of Curare activated carbon powder can significantly increase the specific surface area of electrode materials, providing more storage and diffusion space for lithium ions. When added to the negative electrode material, it can effectively improve the conductivity of the negative electrode material, reduce the internal resistance of the electrode, and enhance the charging and discharging efficiency of lithium batteries. For instance, in the silicon-carbon anode material system, adding an appropriate amount of Curare activated carbon powder can alleviate the volume expansion problem of silicon during charging and discharging, enhance the stability of the electrode structure, and extend the cycle life of lithium batteries.

(2) Electrolyte purification

Electrolyte is an important medium for ion transport in lithium batteries, and its purity directly affects the performance and safety of lithium batteries. Kurare activated carbon powder, with its powerful adsorption capacity, can be used for the deep purification of electrolytes. During the production process of electrolyte, some impurities will inevitably be introduced, such as water, organic impurities, metal ions, etc. These impurities will have side reactions with lithium, consuming active lithium, reducing the capacity and cycle performance of lithium batteries, and may even cause safety issues such as thermal runaway of the battery. Kurare activated carbon powder can efficiently adsorb these impurities in the electrolyte, remove moisture and organic impurities, reduce the content of metal ions, and improve the purity and stability of the electrolyte, thereby ensuring the performance and safety of lithium batteries.

(3) Modification of battery separators

The battery separator plays a crucial role in lithium batteries, isolating the positive and negative electrodes, preventing short circuits, and allowing lithium ions to pass through. Coating the surface of the battery separator with Kurare activated carbon powder or adding it to the separator material can modify the separator. The porous structure of activated carbon powder can increase the porosity of the separator, improve the permeability of lithium ions, and reduce the internal resistance of the battery. In addition, its adsorption performance can effectively adsorb the gases and impurities produced by the battery during charging and discharging, reduce the accumulation of pressure inside the battery and the occurrence of side reactions, and improve the battery's cycle performance and safety. In some high-energy-density lithium batteries, the use of modified separators can significantly enhance the overall performance and service life of the batteries.

(4) Battery production environment purification

The manufacturing of lithium batteries has extremely strict requirements for the production environment. Even tiny impurity particles and harmful gases may affect the quality of the batteries. Kurare activated carbon powder can be used in the air purification system of lithium battery production workshops. It can adsorb impurities such as dust, organic volatile substances and harmful gases in the air, creating a clean environment for the production of lithium batteries, avoiding the adverse effects of impurities on battery materials and the battery assembly process, and thereby improving the yield and consistency of lithium batteries.

4、Selection of Curare activated carbon powder

(1) Clarify application requirements

Before purchasing Kulare activated carbon powder, it is necessary to first clarify its specific application scenarios and requirements in lithium battery manufacturing. If it is used as electrode material, attention should be paid to the performance parameters of activated carbon powder such as specific surface area, pore size distribution and electrical conductivity. When it is used for electrolyte purification, its adsorption capacity for impurities and chemical stability should be given priority consideration. For diaphragm modification, it is necessary to evaluate its compatibility with diaphragm materials and the improvement effect on diaphragm performance. When used for purifying the production environment, its adsorption efficiency for different pollutants needs to be taken into consideration.

(2) Pay attention to the product performance indicators

Specific surface area: For the modification applications of lithium battery electrode materials and separators, activated carbon powder with a larger specific surface area can provide more active sites, which is conducive to improving battery performance. However, a reasonable choice should be made based on actual needs. It is not the case that the larger the specific surface area, the better.

Pore size distribution: An appropriate pore size distribution can optimize the diffusion path of lithium ions. In electrode materials, activated carbon powder with an appropriate ratio of micropores to mesopores helps to improve the storage and transmission efficiency of lithium ions. In the purification of electrolyte, the pore size distribution with targeted adsorption capacity for impurity molecules of different sizes is of vital importance.

Impurity content: The manufacturing of lithium batteries has extremely high requirements for material purity. It is necessary to strictly control the impurity content in activated carbon powder, such as heavy metals and ash, to avoid their negative impact on the performance and safety of lithium batteries.

Kuraray Activated Carbon Powder, as a high-performance activated carbon product, has demonstrated outstanding application value in the field of lithium battery manufacturing with its unique physicochemical properties. From electrode material optimization to electrolyte purification, from battery separator modification to production environment purification, Curare activated carbon powder plays a key role in every link of lithium battery manufacturing, effectively enhancing the performance and safety of lithium batteries.