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China – 99,9% pure graphite breakthrough can revolutionize tech, battery industry

graphite battery industry

China – 99,9% pure graphite breakthrough can revolutionize tech, battery industry.

Graphite, a crystalline form of carbon, is used in high-tech materials, including batteries, lubricants, pencils, crucibles, and more. However, achieving a higher purification of graphite has not been easy. Multiple methods, including flotation, acid leaching, thermal purification, and others are claimed to offer sometimes 80–90% purification.

Now, scientists in China have made a significant breakthrough in graphite purification.

They claimed to have developed ultra-high pure graphite, which suggests that the Asian country’s graphite products can now match the world’s leading standards.

Graphite purity level exceeding 99.99995 percent

Scientists claimed that they have achieved a graphite purity level exceeding 99.99995 percent.

At a press conference held in Hegang, Northeast China Heilongjiang Province, Wang Jionghui’s team from China Minmetals Co unveiled innovational breakthrough in graphite purification technology, successfully producing ultra-high pure graphite. This achievement positions China as a global leader in the making of ultra-high pure graphite, reported Xinhua.

Scientists are claimed to have transformed the China’s graphite purification process as they developed a method in tandem with the country’s top equipment manufacturers.

Stable product quality

Maintaining stable product quality, their method is claimed to be a mix of physical-chemical, low and high-temperature, and ultra-high vacuum purification. Using their innovative method, scientists elevated graphite purity from 95 percent to 99.99995 percent.

Their new method is also claimed to be cost-effective compared to current methods.

Analysts claim that ultra-high pure graphite, which contains more than 99.99 percent carbon, features excellent self-lubrication, conductivity, corrosion and high-temperature resistance, and chemical stability.

Higher purity of graphite is better for mineral’s lubricity, conductivity

“The higher the purity of graphite is, the better the graphite’s lubricity, conductivity, corrosion resistance and chemical stability. Such materials are extensively used in advanced industrial sectors such as aerospace, superconductors, integrated circuits, and semiconductors,” Liu Enqiao, a senior analyst at Beijing-based Anbound Think Tank, told the Global Times.

However, Liu maintains that the breakthrough is still at an experimental stage with its commercial viability still under evaluation.

Liu claims that if commercialized, the pure graphite would enable China to play a prominent role in the market.

Demand for high-purity graphite is growing

Liu Enqiao, a senior analyst at Beijing-based Anbound Think Tank, said:

The demand for high-purity graphite in cutting-edge industrial sectors has been growing, and the technological advancement could significantly liberate us in this field, reducing our dependencies.

Researchers are now planning to create ultra-pure graphite products, including high-end negative electrode materials and carbon-based semiconductor graphite, a form of carbon popular for its properties such as lubrication, electrical conductivity, and resistance to erosion and high temperatures. It’s also a significant mineral for high-tech industries.

China Minmetals Corporation, which possesses a major graphite reserve in Hegang City, Heilongjiang Province, operates a processing plant with an annual output of 200,000 tonnes, reported Xinhua.

READ the latest Batteries News shaping the battery market

China – 99,9% pure graphite breakthrough can revolutionize tech, battery industry. source

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