The glovebox work behind LANXESS’s shift from material-level testing to direct validation inside the cell
(Image courtesy of LANXESS)
LANXESS has opened a new battery laboratory at its Krefeld-Uerdingen site. The facility tests iron oxide and iron phosphate materials directly inside battery cells, giving engineers a direct read on cell-level performance instead of material-only data.
A direct line from precursor to cell performance
The new lab brings cell testing in house, giving LANXESS and its customers a faster read on how a given material grade performs, processes, and suits a specific application.
“Today, cell manufacturers consider more than just raw material availability. What matters is the reliability of processing and its contribution to cell performance,” said Murat Gürsoy, Head of Innovation for Iron Oxides and Iron Phosphate at LANXESS. “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.”
The equipment is not limited to LFP chemistry. LANXESS says the same setup can test sodium iron pyrophosphate, the cathode material used in sodium-ion batteries.
Building on a multi-year LFP materials position
The lab extends a position LANXESS has been building for years. The company describes itself as the leading Western manufacturer of iron oxide, with more than a century of production experience at Krefeld-Uerdingen. Its “battery grade” iron oxide for LFP cathode synthesis is already commercial and won the 2024 ICIS Innovation Award for Best Product Innovation from a Large Company.
Iron phosphate is the newer addition. LANXESS produces it from iron and phosphoric acid, a route the company says avoids the high-volume saline wastewater tied to more conventional production methods.
LFP demand is broadening beyond passenger EVs
LFP demand is growing quickly. LANXESS says three-quarters of electric vehicles sold in China already use LFP chemistry, and cites Roland Berger’s forecast that LFP will reach half of the European battery market by 2030, up from around 10% today.
Vehicles are not the only driver behind that. LANXESS points to stationary energy storage for renewable power, data centres and critical infrastructure as additional demand sources, alongside new value chains emerging in Europe and North America aimed at cutting reliance on Asian suppliers. The company’s broader portfolio, including electrolyte salt chemicals, Lewatit ion-exchange resins for lithium, nickel and cobalt extraction, thermal management materials, and recycling chemicals for black mass processing, sits behind that same push toward regional supply.
The lab gives LANXESS a way to test how its iron oxide, iron phosphate, and sodium-ion materials perform once assembled in a cell, adding a verification step to a materials business already built around LFP’s growing role beyond electric vehicles.
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