Celanese, a global chemical and specialty materials company, has added a new GUR ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMW-PE) production line at its Bishop, Texas manufacturing facility to support its high-value GUR engineering materials Significant growth in the portfolio.
GUR UHMW-PE microporous membranes have many applications as separators in lithium ion batteries, supercapacitors and fuel cells.
GUR UHMW-PE is a linear polyethylene with a much higher molecular weight than standard PE. It can provide excellent wear resistance, excellent impact resistance, non-stick and self-lubricating properties, and excellent mechanical properties even at low temperatures. characteristic.
As a very high molecular weight polyethylene, GUR UHMW-PE is a powder that requires special processing. In the semi-finished product industry, the high pressure generated during compression molding and stamping extrusion fuse particles together. The material is then usually formed into a blank shape or profile. It can also be processed by gelation and pressureless sintering.
GUR UHMW-PE can be gel processed for applications such as battery separators, synthetic paper or high-strength fiber applications.
It is estimated that by 2025, the compound annual growth rate of electric vehicle demand will exceed 25%, resulting in strong demand for Celanese GUR's lithium-ion battery separators. Customers rely on Celanese to reliably supply GUR that meets very stringent quality standards, and our capacity expansion in Bishop’s integrated chemical plant will enable Celanese to continue to support a growing and diversified customer base and respond to the growing demand for specialty materials. Demand, for example, as ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene. —Tom Kelly, Senior Vice President of Celanese Engineering Materials
By early 2022, this new production line at the Celanese Bishop manufacturing plant is expected to increase the production capacity of GUR products by approximately 15 kilotons per year.
After Celanese completed the GUR capacity expansion in Nanjing, China in June 2019, Celanese continued to become the only truly global UHMWPE producer in Asia, North America and Europe, giving Celanese unique capabilities and Customers in all three regions work closely together.
The explosive growth of global electric vehicle sales indicates that the demand for lithium-ion battery separators in Asia and Europe will increase substantially in the next five years. As a reliable materials partner for our customers, Celanese is committed to further investing in local manufacturing capabilities to provide unparalleled supply security. --Tom Kelly
Published on October 24, 2020 in Battery, Electric (Battery), Manufacturing, Materials | Permalink | Comments (0)
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