SMM Strengthens R&D for Battery Cathode Materials

Sumitomo Metal Mining (SMM) announced on Friday the firm established a new Battery Research Laboratory inside Niihama Research Laboratories, Ehime, Japan. SMM accelerates R&D activities to enhance cathode material business for rechargeable batteries. The new lab initially starts with about 30 staffs.

SMM integrated R&D functions separated in R&D division and productive division in order to establish a unified organization to follow battery makers’ needs more speedy and efficiently. The new lab also covers long-term researches for basic material technology and evaluation method for battery materials.

SMM presently supplies nickel hydroxide and lithium nickel oxide as cathode active materials for rechargeable batteries. Nickel hydroxide is applied to nickel hydride battery which is recently adopted by hybrid cars. Lithium nickel oxide is used inside high capacity lithium ion batteries such for notebooks.

SMM also eyes development of new battery cathode active materials for new nickel and ternary lithium-ion batteries as well as new high-energy, highly safe materials to cultivate market demand.