Celgard, American Battery Factory to develop high-performance LFP battery separator technology

Leading developer of battery separator technology, Celgard LLC (Celgard) on Monday announced (Aug. 22) that it has entered a strategic alliance with American Battery Factory (ABF) to develop high-performance Lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP) battery separator technology.

As per the latest agreement, Celgard and ABF will undertake joint research projects to commercialize next-gen products for reliable, prismatic LFP batteries in the U.S. 

"We are excited to work with ABF to develop and showcase Celgard next-generation membrane separators and to advance lithium battery technology with LFP chemistry," said Lie Shi, Asahi Kasei's global head of separator business development and executive vice president of Polypore. 

"LFP represents an important market and Celgard dry-process membrane separators offer a high-performance technology solution for this application," Shi added.

As per the terms of the agreement, Celgard will meet 100% of ABF's separator needs for LFP battery cells in the U.S. Further, both companies will share resources to develop advanced technologies and next-gen cells for LFP batteries and explore opportunities to establish a robust domestic LFP ecosystem in the U.S. with improved access to precursor materials and expanded capacity that provides LFP to a broader customer base.

Celgard is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Polypore International, LP, an Asahi Kasei company that specializes in developing microporous membranes, an important component of Li-ion batteries used in electric and non-electric vehicles, energy storage systems, and specialty applications. ABF is a Utah-based battery cell manufacturer, developing the first network of LFP battery giga factories in the U.S. The company aims to provide made-in-USA LFP battery cells.