With the continuous rise in gasoline prices, public attention toward new energy vehicles is growing higher, which in turn triggers a market demand for battery materials. Among them, the demand for manganese-based spinels, ternary materials, and lithium iron phosphate cathode materials is steadily increasing. Magnesium oxide and magnesium carbonate used as battery materials are also known as electronic-grade magnesium oxide and magnesium carbonate. This article introduces the product characteristics and prominent features of magnesium carbonate used for battery materials.
Magnesium Carbonate
Stable Main Content of Magnesium Ions
The main content of magnesium carbonate is controlled at 40–42% (calculated as magnesium oxide). Stability in the main content facilitates the precise addition of other materials during production. Given the current production processes and technological levels of domestic magnesium carbonate manufacturers, accurately controlling the lower limit of the magnesium ion content is more difficult than controlling the upper limit. Factors affecting the main content include product moisture and impurities—for instance, problems such as unstable content caused by undried products exceeding the standard moisture range, as well as unstable impurity control.
Low Magnetic Impurities
Magnetic impurities affect the performance of batteries and therefore need to be controlled. A magnetic impurity level of generally less than 500 is considered stable. The testing method for magnetic impurities is a core technology domestically, mastered by only a few manufacturers, and the removal of magnetic impurities is the core key of the magnesium carbonate purification process.
Narrow Particle Size Span
Magnesium carbonate is generally tested using a laser particle size analyzer in China, with its D50 particle size around 2 microns and D90 around 20 microns. In terms of fineness, finer is not always better; the ideal state is for the particle size to be similar to other materials during production addition, falling within the same span.
The characteristics of magnesium carbonate for battery materials can be summarized as a stable main content, low magnetic impurities, and a narrow particle size span. These above characteristics are also the primary factors influencing product grade and cost. Magnesium oxide for battery materials likewise shares the characteristics of low magnetic substances and a narrow particle size span.