Toyocolor, the colorants and functional materials division of Japan’s Toyo Ink Group, will supply the North American and European operations of SK Innovation, a South Korean Lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery manufacturer, with Toyocolor’s Lioaccum series of conductive carbon nanotube (CNT) dispersions.

Lioaccum dispersions are used as the conductive additive in li-ion cathodes to help expand li-ion battery capacity of electric vehicles (EVs), for increased driving distances and faster charging performance. This will help power SK Innovation’s Li-ion batteries installed in EVs manufactured by the Volkswagen Group and the Ford Motor Company.

At present, Toyocolor is providing SK Innovation with Lioaccum dispersions produced at the Group company LioChem in Conyers, Georgia, USA, with supply to commence from Toyo Ink Hungary in Pest, Hungary to SK Innovation’s European plants, in the first quarter of 2022.

In line with the rising demand for EVs, Toyo Ink SC Holdings Co., Ltd., the parent company of the Toyo Ink Group, plans to invest approximately 10 billion yen up to 2026, to strengthen its global battery dispersion production network and to ensure a reliable global supply. The Group aims to develop this business into a core business with sales of 20 billion yen annually.

Hideki Okaichi, President, Toyocolor said, “Toyocolor has an established track record in carbon dispersion development dating back to 2015. We believe SK Innovation’s adoption of Lioaccum is a testament to our ability to reliably supply innovative battery solutions and customer-focused support to all four major auto markets of North America, Europe, China and Japan. Today’s announcement reaffirms our commitment to meet the dispersion requirements of automakers with world-class battery materials, and to the Toyo Ink Group’s vision of realizing a more sustainable society through the spread of electric vehicles.”