The Zhitong Finance App learned that according to GGII research data, the addition ratio of LiFSi for electrolytes has gradually evolved from 0.5 to 2% to 2 to 4%, and the addition ratio is expected to continue to increase in the future. Some leading battery manufacturers have begun to verify the technical application feasibility of electrolyte formulations at a 6% addition ratio. If successfully applied, the addition ratio will be comparable to the main salt LiPF6 (the total solute mass fraction of the electrolyte accounts for 12-16%).
Reasons for the acceleration of terminal applications include:
1) Compared with LiPF6, LiFSi has better thermal stability, fast charging and low temperature performance, and is more compatible with high-nickel, silicon-based, and high-voltage battery systems;
2) In the past five years, process progress, scale release, and falling raw material prices have jointly driven costs down by more than 60%, and the cost performance advantage is outstanding.
As of October 2026, under the condition that the price of lithium carbonate was about 100,000 yuan/ton, the mainstream transaction price of LIFSI was more than 10% lower than LiPF6, and downstream customers accelerated the replacement of LiPF6 as a cost reduction solution.
Data source: Advanced Industrial Research Institute of Lithium Batteries (GGII), October 2026
GGII expects the comprehensive addition ratio of LIFSi to electrolytes by 2030, and global LIFSi shipments are expected to reach 3.5-7 times that of 2025 by 2030. Among them, performance is the key to driving the increase in demand for LiFSi. Furthermore, when the price of lithium salt is high, the price of LiFSi also plays a role (the lithium mass fraction of LiPSi is 3.71%, lower than 4.57% of LiPF6, and less lithium equivalent is required per ton. The higher the lithium price, the more obvious the cost advantage).
At present, the industry has confirmed that LiFSi can better improve battery performance. Currently, it is a comprehensive choice with both commercial viability and performance improvement effects. LiFSi has long-term and sustainable demand. Furthermore, under the premise that production technology is relatively stable, LIFSI has a cost advantage over LiPF6.
Industry demand is strong, and the effective production capacity of LiFSi is tightening
According to public information, the LiFSI industry currently has a planned production capacity of more than 100,000 tons/year (more than 300,000 tons/year in liquid phase), and the main focus of expanding production is mainly on companies such as Tianci Materials, Weipu Co., Ltd., and Xinzhoubang.
Note: The above production capacity and monthly shipment are all decommissioned data
Judging from the production capacity commissioning situation, the effective increase in production capacity in 2027 is less than 60,000 tons compared to 2026, which is only less than 70% of the planned production capacity. The reason is:
1) New projects require customer verification, production capacity climbing, etc. for several months, and the effective capacity conversion rate is low during the year. If the new project is put into operation in the second half of the year, the actual contribution to this year's shipment will also be small;
2) LifSi products have a high quality entry threshold. Battery-grade products require long-term process accumulation to control impurities such as metal ions, moisture, and free acid. It is difficult for small and medium-sized enterprises and new entrants to the industry to meet customer requirements in the short term, and production capacity idling or defect rates are high;
3) Finally, when combined with the zombie production capacity left over from history and the publicity caliber of some companies, there is a huge difference between the industry's overall effective production capacity and the completed paper production capacity.
Global LiFSI production capacity and utilization rate 2025-2027
Data source: Advanced Industrial Research Institute of Lithium Batteries (GGII), October 2026
Furthermore, due to LiFSi's own characteristics, even leading companies with advanced technology and stable products are unavoidable:
1) LiFSi production is highly corrosive to equipment, causing production line equipment to be frequently overhauled and maintained, and the actual equipment operating rate is less than 90% of the design value;
2) Multiple types of co-production lead to frequent production transfers, accompanied by cleaning, replacement and re-climbing.
Against the backdrop of the industry's actual effective production capacity being tightened, GGII believes:
1) The core of LIFSi's future scale growth rate depends on the increase in the proportion of LiFSi added to downstream battery formulations and the price comparison with LiPF6. The average compound annual growth rate is expected to be 30-50% over the next 5 years;
2) It is recommended that LiFSI enterprises prepare project approval in advance, plan the pace of production expansion, and quickly respond to production expansion needs under the surge in demand;
3) Downstream clients can consider signing long purchase orders with LIFSi companies in advance to consolidate their raw material side cost competitiveness.
Development trends
I. The competitive landscape
Currently, LiFSi's supply follows a pattern of “integrated electrolyte enterprise+independent third-party professional factory”. The two are not substitutes for each other; they each have boundaries in terms of positioning, advantages, and application scenarios, forming a complementary relationship. GGII believes that the two models will coexist for a long time. The advantages of integrated enterprises are:
1) Self-insurance and collaboration issues;
2) Confidentiality of own formulations and technology.
The advantages of independent third-party professional factories are:
1) Multiple customers share production capacity to dilute costs;
2) Use an open platform to promote the iteration of LiFSi processes and formulations, and diversified development of the technology system;
3) It is easier to be recognized and accepted by other electrolyte manufacturers, and customers are not worried about forming competitive relationships.
II. Formulation system construction
LiFSi has excellent performance, but its disadvantage is that for aluminum foil fluid collection corrosion, one of the improvements currently approved by the industry is to add LiODFB as a lithium additive (suppressing corrosion while retaining the advantages of LiFSi). Its LIFSi release is also the main driver of rapid growth in demand for LiODFB in recent years. It is expected that the application ratio of LIPf+LIFSi+LiODFB will continue to rise in the future, becoming one of the core lithium salt systems for electrolytes.