LANXESS Opens Battery Laboratory to Test Iron Oxide and Iron Phosphate in LFP Cells

Specialty chemicals company LANXESS has established a new battery laboratory at its Krefeld-Uerdingen site in Germany to test and develop materials based on iron oxide and iron phosphate.

What Happened

The laboratory allows LANXESS to evaluate the material properties of its products directly within battery cells. According to the company, this setup enables it and its customers to more quickly assess how specific grades of iron oxide or iron phosphate impact cell performance, processability, and suitability for various applications. The equipment is also compatible with other battery chemistries, including sodium-ion cells, which utilize sodium iron pyrophosphate as their cathode material.

LANXESS notes that it already sells iron oxide grades tailored for lithium iron phosphate (LFP) cathode synthesis, a development that received the 2024 ICIS Innovation Award for "Best Product Innovation from a Large Company." The company has also developed iron phosphate as a second LFP precursor, produced from iron and phosphoric acid. LANXESS states that this production route offers environmental advantages over conventional methods by avoiding the large volumes of saline wastewater typically generated.

Why It Matters

The opening of this facility aligns with the growing dominance of LFP battery technology. LANXESS reports that three-quarters of electric vehicles in China currently use LFP batteries. Furthermore, management consultancy Roland Berger forecasts that LFP will capture 50% of the European market by 2030, up from its current 10% share. The company identifies stationary storage for renewable energy, data centers, and critical infrastructure as additional drivers of demand, alongside new value chains forming in Europe and North America aimed at reducing dependence on Asian suppliers.

Murat Gürsoy, LANXESS’s Head of Innovation for Iron Oxides and Iron Phosphate, emphasized the strategic value of the lab. "What matters is the reliability of processing and its contribution to cell performance," Gürsoy said. "This is precisely where our laboratory comes in. We bring material development and cell testing closer together. This gives us an earlier indication of whether a material works in a real cell assembly."

LANXESS’s broader battery portfolio includes chemicals for electrolyte salts, Lewatit ion-exchange resins for lithium, nickel, and cobalt refinement, synthetic coolants for high-voltage applications, and flame retardants. The company also provides process chemicals and resins for battery recycling, specifically for processing black mass and treating wastewater.

The Bottom Line

LANXESS is expanding its capabilities in the battery supply chain by integrating cell-level testing into its material development process for LFP and sodium-ion chemistries, responding to the projected rise of LFP in European markets and the push for localized supply chains in the West.