Secondary Battery Materials Market Report 2026-2037: Cathode, Anode & Electrolyte

The secondary battery materials market is the upstream foundation of the energy transition. Every EV battery, every grid storage system, every consumer electronics device that runs on a rechargeable cell depends on the cathode active materials, anode materials, electrolytes, and separators that define that cell’s energy density, power capability, cycle life, safety, and cost. The secondary battery materials market determines what batteries can do — and understanding where it is heading is essential for anyone who cares about the pace and cost of the energy transition.

The secondary battery materials market is undergoing its most significant compositional shift since the commercialisation of lithium-ion chemistry in the 1990s. LFP is displacing NMC in energy storage and lower-range EV applications on cost grounds. Silicon-carbon composite anodes are entering volume production to extend energy density beyond the limits of graphite. Solid electrolytes are transitioning from laboratory curiosity to automotive programme. And sodium-ion battery materials are entering commercial production as a lithium-free alternative for specific applications. All of these transitions are happening simultaneously, creating a secondary battery materials market that is more dynamic and more technically complex than at any previous point in the industry’s history.

Secondary Battery Materials Market Report 2026-2037 — Key Coverage Areas

Cathode Active Materials — NMC (811, 622, 532 and high-voltage variants), LFP, NCA, LMFP, and high-voltage spinel cathodes; production processes; leading manufacturers; and the LFP-versus-NMC market share evolution through 2037
Anode Materials — natural and synthetic graphite, silicon-carbon composite anodes, pure silicon anodes, hard carbon for sodium-ion, and lithium metal anode development status with leading company profiles
Electrolytes — liquid carbonate electrolyte formulations, electrolyte additives, and the transition from liquid to solid and quasi-solid electrolyte systems for solid-state battery applications
Separators — polyolefin separators, ceramic-coated separators, and solid electrolyte membrane separators for all-solid-state batteries with production capacity and cost analysis
Battery Binders and Conductive Additives — PVDF, water-based binder alternatives, carbon black and carbon nanotube conductive additive systems, and the dry electrode processing transition eliminating solvent-based binder systems
Sodium-Ion Battery Materials — layered oxide and Prussian blue analogue cathodes, hard carbon anodes, and sodium-ion electrolyte systems with CATL, HiNa Cell, and other commercial producer analysis
Solid Electrolyte Materials — oxide (LLZO), sulfide (LGPS, argyrodite), and polymer solid electrolyte materials for solid-state batteries with technology readiness and cost analysis
Supply Chain and Critical Materials — lithium, cobalt, nickel, manganese, graphite, and phosphate supply chain analysis with geopolitical risk assessment and ex-China supply development tracker
10-Year Forecasts — secondary battery materials market value by material type, battery chemistry, application, and region from 2026 through 2037

The secondary battery materials market report is the definitive intelligence resource for battery manufacturers, material suppliers, and investors navigating the most consequential materials market of the energy transition.

Ideal for battery manufacturers, cathode and anode material suppliers, EV manufacturers, energy storage developers, and critical material investors.

cover

Published: August 2026
Pages: 458
Tables: 52
Figures: 46

Secondary (rechargeable) battery materials are the engineered inputs that make up a lithium-ion cell and its surrounding module and pack — cathode and anode active materials, electrolyte, separator, conductive additives and binders, and the copper and aluminium current collectors, together with the busbars, insulation and structural housing that turn cells into a usable pack. Demand is driven overwhelmingly by the electrification of transport and the parallel build-out of stationary energy storage, with consumer electronics a smaller but stable third stream. As global lithium-ion output scales from roughly one terawatt-hour today toward several times that by 2037, material demand rises in step — though not uniformly, because chemistry mix, cell and pack architecture, and processing route all reshape which materials capture value.

The market is defined by a persistent tension between volume and value. High-volume commodities such as LFP cathode and graphite anode grow with capacity but carry thin margins, while smaller, specification-critical materials — silicon anode, carbon nanotubes, LiFSI salt, engineered separators — grow faster in percentage terms and command premium pricing. Cathode active materials remain the largest single value pool, anchored to volatile lithium, nickel and cobalt prices; anode is being reshaped by the gradual introduction of silicon; and separators, electrolytes and current collectors form steady, technically demanding mid-tier markets.

Two structural shifts run through the forecast period. First, pack-level engineering — cell-to-pack, cell-to-body and cell-to-chassis designs — is eroding module content while raising the importance of structural housing materials such as aluminium, high-strength steel and composites. Second, dry-electrode (solvent-free) processing is beginning to reshape binder and conductive-additive demand, favouring PTFE and carbon nanotubes over incumbent PVDF and carbon black.

Supply is acutely concentrated in China across nearly every segment, with nascent Western, Korean and Japanese capacity supported by the US Inflation Reduction Act, Section 45X and the EU Critical Raw Materials Act. Substitution risk — principally sodium-ion in cost-sensitive storage and entry EVs, and solid-state over the longer term — sits alongside recycling and critical-material recovery as swing factors for secondary supply. The result is a large, fast-growing but strategically contested market in which sourcing security, localisation economics and materials innovation increasingly determine competitive position through 2037, rewarding participants who can pair scale with defensible, specification-critical differentiation.

The Global Secondary Battery Materials Market 2026–2037 is a commercial market study of the full lithium-ion battery materials value chain, from cell active materials through to module and pack-structural components. It quantifies demand (in tonnes) and market value (in US dollars) for each in-scope material on a bottom-up basis — global cell output in gigawatt-hours, multiplied by chemistry- and architecture-specific material-intensity factors, then priced — with annual forecasts extended to 2037. The study covers eight value-chain segments: cathode active materials; anode active materials (graphite and silicon); electrolyte, salts and additives; separators; conductive additives and binders; current collectors; module materials; and pack-housing and structural materials. It also provides a dedicated analysis of dry-electrode (solvent-free) processing and its effect on the cell, binder and conductive-additive markets.

Beyond sizing, the report maps demand drivers and end-market splits across electric vehicles, stationary storage and consumer electronics; profiles the supplier landscape and geographic concentration for every segment; sets out pricing trends and cost structures; and assesses supply-chain risk against the US IRA/Section 45X and the EU Critical Raw Materials Act. A comparative-analysis chapter reconciles all segments into a single value-and-volume view with a regional breakdown, and a scenarios chapter tests sensitivity to chemistry mix, silicon loading, dry-process adoption, sodium-ion substitution and localisation. The study closes with a company-profiles directory spanning cathode, anode, electrolyte, separator, additive, binder, foil, upstream raw-material, cell, solid-state, sodium-ion and recycling players.

Contents summary:

Executive summary — headline forecasts, material growth ranking and company landscape
Introduction, scope and methodology — the bottom-up GWh → intensity → tonnage → value model
Global Li-ion demand and the material-intensity model — demand by application, chemistry mix, end-market split
Cathode active materials — LFP, NMC, NCA, LMFP; lithium, nickel, cobalt and manganese
Anode active materials — natural and synthetic graphite; silicon (SiOx, nano-Si, Si-C)
Electrolyte — salts (LiPF₆, LiFSI), solvents and additives
Separators — wet and dry base films; ceramic-coated
Conductive additives and binders — carbon black, CNT; PVDF, SBR/CMC
Current collectors — battery-grade copper and aluminium foil
Dry-electrode (solvent-free) processing — cell, binder and conductive-additive impact
Module materials — busbars, interconnects and insulation
Pack-housing and structural materials — aluminium, steel, composites; CTP/CTB/CTC
Comparative analysis, regional breakdown and supply-chain risk — including IRA/45X and EU CRMA policy
Scenarios and sensitivities — chemistry mix, silicon loading, dry-process, sodium-ion, localisation
Company profiles — 439 companies across the value chain
Appendices — methodology, full assumptions, demand-model tables, Excel sheet index, company directory and related FMI research

Companies profiled include 24M Technologies, Inc., 2D Fab AB, 3DOM Inc., 6K Energy, AC Biode, Accurec Recycling GmbH, Achelous Pure Metal Company Limited, ACT-ion Battery Technologies, Addionics, Advanced Battery Recycle Co., Ltd. (ABR), Advanced Solid-State Electrolyte Technology Co., Ltd. (ASET), Advano, AE Elemental, AEGIS Critical Energy Defence Corp., AESC, AirMembrane Corporation, Albemarle, Allied Gra[hite, Allye Energy, Alsym Energy, Altairnano / Yinlong, Altech Batteries Ltd., Altilium Clean Technology, Altris AB, AMO Greentech, Ampcera, Inc., Amprius, Inc., Amtex, Anaphite Limited, Anhui Anwa New Energy, Anthro Energy, APB Corporation, Appear Inc., Arcadium Lithium, Argylium, Arkema, Asahi Kasei, Astracite, Ateios Systems, Atlas Materials, Attero Recycling, Australian Advanced Materials, Avanti Battery Company, AZUL Energy Co., Ltd, BAK Power Battery, Base Power, BASF, Basquevolt, Batrec Industrie AG, Battery Pollution Technologies, Battri, BatX Energies, Bedimensional S.p.A, BeePlanet Factory, Beijing Easpring, Beijing WeLion New Energy Technology, Bemp Research Company, BenAn Energy Technology, The BESSt Company, BGT Materials Ltd., Bihar Batteries, Birla Carbon, Biwatt Power, Black Diamond Structures, LLC, Blackstone Resources, Blue Current, Inc., Blue Solutions, Bodi, Inc., Breathe Battery Technologies, BrightVolt, Inc., Broadbit Batteries Oy, Brunp (CATL), BTR New Energy Materials, Inc., BTRY AG, BYD Energy Storage, Cabot Corporation, CALB, California Lithium Battery, CAMX Power, CAPCHEM, Carbon One, CarbonScape Ltd., CarbonX, CATL, CBAK Energy Technology, Inc., CCL Design, CEC Science & Technology Co., Ltd, CellCircle, CellCube, CellsX, CENS Materials Ltd., Central Glass Co., Ltd., Ceylon Graphene Technologies (Pvt) Ltd, Cham Battery Technology, Chasm Advanced Materials, Inc., Chemix, China Sodium-ion Times, Chongqing Tailan New Energy Co., Ltd., Cirba Solutions, Circunomics, CMBlu Energy AG, Cnano Technology (LB Group), CNGR, Connexx Systems Corp, Conovate, Coreshell, Customcells, cylib, Cymbet, Daejoo Electronic Materials, Daqus Energy, Denka, DFD, Do-Fluoride, Domolynx, Donut Lab Oy, Dotz Nano, DOWA Eco-System, Dreamweaver International, Duesenfeld GmbH, E-Magy, Easpring Finland New Materials, EBS Square, Ecellix, Echion Technologies and more...

1 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 25

1.1 Report scope 25
1.2 Headline market size and growth 25
1.3 Key findings by value-chain segment 26
1.4 Material growth ranking 27
1.5 Company landscape at a glance 28

2 INTRODUCTION, SCOPE & METHODOLOGY 29

2.1 Study objectives and scope 30
2.2 Definitions and the boundary of the battery pack 30
2.3 Bottom-up demand methodology 31
2.4 Material-intensity framework (kg/kWh) 32
2.5 Pricing, data sources and assumptions 33
2.6 Limitations and confidence flags 33

3 GLOBAL LI-ION DEMAND & THE MATERIAL-INTENSITY MODEL 34

3.1 Global Li-ion demand by application 35
3.2 Cathode chemistry-mix evolution 35
3.3 Regional production of cells 36
3.4 From GWh to material demand 37
3.5 From demand to market value 38
3.6 End-market split (EV, ESS, consumer, other) 38

4 CATHODE ACTIVE MATERIALS 39

4.1 Overview and role in the cell 40
4.2 Chemistry landscape (LFP, NMC, NCA, LMFP) 40
4.3 Demand outlook by chemistry 41
4.4 Critical raw material — lithium 42
4.5 Critical raw material — nickel 42
4.6 Critical raw materials — cobalt & manganese 43
4.7 Supply landscape and geographic concentration 43
4.8 Pricing and cost structure 44
4.9 Technology & substitution (LMFP, sodium-ion) 44
4.10 Outlook 45

5 ANODE ACTIVE MATERIALS 46

5.1 Overview and role 46
5.2 Graphite — natural vs synthetic 46
5.3 Silicon anode materials (SiOx, nano-Si, Si-C) 47
5.4 Silicon loading roadmap and the 2028–2030 inflection 48
5.5 Demand outlook 49
5.6 Supply landscape 49
5.7 Pricing and cost structure 50
5.8 Technology & substitution 50
5.9 Outlook 51

6 ELECTROLYTE 52

6.1 Overview and function 52
6.2 Salts (LiPF₆, LiFSI) 52
6.3 Solvents (EC, DMC, EMC, DEC, PC) 53
6.4 Additives (VC, FEC) 54
6.5 Demand outlook 54
6.6 Supply landscape and pricing 55
6.7 Outlook 56

7 SEPARATORS 57

7.1 Overview and function 57
7.2 Wet vs dry-process base films 57
7.3 Ceramic-coated separators 57
7.4 Demand outlook 58
7.5 Supply landscape 58
7.6 Pricing and cost structure 59
7.7 Outlook 60

8 CONDUCTIVE ADDITIVES AND BINDERS 61

8.1 Overview and function 61
8.2 Conductive additives — carbon black 61
8.3 Conductive additives — CNT / SWCNT 61
8.4 Binders — PVDF 62
8.5 Binders — SBR / CMC 63
8.6 Demand outlook 63
8.7 Supply and pricing 64

9 CURRENT COLLECTORS 66

9.1 Overview and function 66
9.2 Battery-grade copper foil 66
9.3 Battery-grade aluminium foil 67
9.4 Foil-thickness trends and material efficiency 67
9.5 Demand outlook 68
9.6 Supply landscape and pricing 69
9.7 Outlook 69

10 DRY-ELECTRODE (SOLVENT-FREE PROCESSING) 71

10.1 Dry-electrode processing 71
10.2 Cell market and dry-process adoption 71
10.3 Impact on the binder market 72
10.4 Impact on the conductive-additives market 73
10.5 Cost, capex and qualification barriers 74
10.6 Outlook 74

11 MODULE MATERIALS 75

11.1 Overview — module vs cell-to-pack 75
11.2 Busbars and interconnects (Cu, Al) 76
11.3 Module insulation & dielectric films 77
11.4 Demand outlook (major-material level) 77
11.5 Supply and pricing 78

12 PACK-HOUSING & STRUCTURAL MATERIALS 79

12.1 Overview — the enclosure's structural role 79
12.2 Aluminium (extruded & die-cast) 79
12.3 High-strength steel 80
12.4 Structural composites (SMC/GFRP, CFRP) 80
12.5 Structural pack integration (CTP/CTB/CTC) 80
12.6 Demand outlook (major-material level) 81
12.7 Outlook 82

13 COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS, REGIONAL BREAKDOWN & SUPPLY-CHAIN RISK 83

13.1 Cross-material forecast comparison 83
13.2 Value-vs-volume divergence 84
13.3 Regional demand & value breakdown 85
13.4 Supply-chain concentration 86
13.5 Critical-material supply risk 87
13.6 Policy landscape (US IRA / 45X, EU CRMA) 88
13.7 Localisation outlook 88

14 SCENARIOS & SENSITIVITIES 90

14.1 Scenario framework 90
14.2 Chemistry-mix sensitivity 90
14.3 Silicon-loading sensitivity 91
14.4 Dry-process adoption sensitivity 92
14.5 Sodium-ion substitution sensitivity 93
14.6 Localisation sensitivity 94
14.7 Combined scenario outcomes 94

15 COMPANY PROFILES 96

15.1 Cathode active materials 96 (33 company profiles)

15.2 Anode — graphite & carbon 129 (24 company profiles)

15.3 Anode — silicon 153 (29 company profiles)

15.4 Electrolyte, salts & additives 183 (20 company profiles)

15.5 Separators 204 (11 company profiles)

15.6 Conductive additives (CNT, graphene, carbon black) 215 (28 company profiles)

15.7 Binders 249 (9 company profiles)

15.8 Current collectors (foils) 258 (11 company profiles)

15.9 Upstream raw & critical materials 269 (13 company profiles)

15.10 Li-ion cell & pack manufacturers 282 (43 company profiles)

15.11 Solid-state, Li-metal & Li-S 325 (40 company profiles)

15.12 Sodium-ion materials & cells 350 (18 company profiles)

15.13 Recycling & material recovery 364 (51 company profiles)

15.14 Additional advanced-battery & materials developers 405 (60 company profiles)

16 APPENDICES 440

16.1 Methodology detail & full assumption set 440
16.2 Demand-model tables (full annual series to 2037) 444
16.3 Glossary 447

17 REFERENCES 450

List of Tables

Table 1. Headline forecast summary — value, volume and CAGR by segment 26
Table 2. Leading suppliers by value-chain segment 28
Table 3. In-scope value-chain segments and materials 30
Table 4. Material-intensity assumptions by chemistry (kg/kWh) 32
Table 5. Principal data sources and vintage 33
Table 6. Li-ion demand by application (GWh) 35
Table 7. Cathode chemistry mix (% of GWh) 36
Table 8. Cathode chemistry mix (% of GWh), 2026–2037 36
Table 9. Aggregate material demand (kt) by segment 37
Table 10. Aggregate material market value (US$bn) by segment 38
Table 11. Technical comparison of cathode chemistries 40
Table 12. Cathode demand and value by chemistry, 2026–2037 41
Table 13. Nickel content and demand by chemistry 42
Table 14. Cathode price assumptions by chemistry (US$/kg CAM) 44
Table 15. Natural vs synthetic graphite comparison 46
Table 16. Anode material technical comparison 47
Table 17. Anode demand and value by type 49
Table 18. Anode price assumptions (US$/kg) 50
Table 19. Electrolyte salt comparison 52
Table 20. Solvent mix and function 53
Table 21. Electrolyte demand and value, 2026–2037 54
Table 22. Wet vs dry separator comparison 57
Table 23. Separator demand (m², kt) and value 58
Table 24. Separator price assumptions (US$/m²) 59
Table 25. Conductive-additive comparison 62
Table 26. Binder-system comparison 63
Table 27. Additive & binder demand and value 63
Table 28. Cu vs Al foil specifications 67
Table 29. Current-collector demand and value 68
Table 30. Cell market and dry-process share, 2026–2037 72
Table 31. Binder market by type (incl. PTFE) with growth 72
Table 32. Conductive-additives market with growth 73
Table 33. Busbar material demand (kt) 77
Table 34. Insulation material types 77
Table 35. Module material demand and value 77
Table 36. Aluminium enclosure demand (kt) 80
Table 37. Structural-material comparison 80
Table 38. Pack-structural material demand and value 81
Table 39. All segments — value, volume and CAGR, 2026–2037 83
Table 40. Material value by region, 2026–2037 85
Table 41. Supply-chain risk matrix by material 87
Table 42. Key policies affecting material localisation 88
Table 43. Scenario definitions (base, high, low) 90
Table 44. Market value by scenario, 2037 95
Table 45. Full material-intensity assumption set 441
Table 46. Full price assumption set 442
Table 47. Technology-adoption and mix levers 443
Table 48. Global cell output by application (GWh), 2026–2037 444
Table 49. Cathode chemistry mix (% of GWh), 2026–2037 445
Table 50. Full demand model, 2026–2037 445
Table 51. Full value model — market value by segment (US$bn), 2026–2037 446
Table 52. Material market value by region (US$bn), 2026–2037 446
Table 53. Glossary of technical terms 447

List of Figures

Figure 1. Total in-scope material market — value and volume, 2026–2037 26
Figure 2. Material market value by segment, 2026 vs 2037 27
Figure 3. Segment CAGR vs 2037 market size (bubble) 28
Figure 4. Anatomy of a Li-ion cell, module and pack 31
Figure 5. Model architecture: GWh → material intensity → tonnage → value 32
Figure 6. Li-ion cell output (GWh) by application, 2026–2037 35
Figure 7. Cell output by region 37
Figure 8. Material demand by end-market 39
Figure 9. Cell energy density by cathode chemistry 41
Figure 10. Cathode active-material demand (kt) by chemistry, 2026–2037 41
Figure 11. Lithium demand (LCE) and price outlook, 2026–2037 42
Figure 12. Cathode precursor / CAM capacity by region 43
Figure 13. Cathode market value forecast, 2026–2037 44
Figure 14. Graphite demand (kt) — natural vs synthetic 47
Figure 15. Reversible specific capacity of anode materials 48
Figure 16. Average silicon-loading scenarios, 2026–2037 49
Figure 17. Graphite / anode capacity by region 50
Figure 18. LiPF₆ vs LiFSI demand, 2026–2037 53
Figure 19. Electrolyte market value forecast 55
Figure 20. Electrolyte capacity by region 56
Figure 21. Separator area demand (m²) and coated share 58
Figure 22. Separator capacity by region 59
Figure 23. Conductive-additive market by type 62
Figure 24. Binder market by type, 2026–2037 64
Figure 25. Additive / binder value forecast 65
Figure 26. Copper-foil demand (kt), 2026–2037 66
Figure 27. Foil-thickness roadmap 68
Figure 28. Foil capacity by region 69
Figure 29. Wet vs dry electrode process flow 71
Figure 30. Dry-process share of cell output 72
Figure 31. Binder-mix shift (PVDF → PTFE) 73
Figure 32. Additive loading — wet vs dry 74
Figure 33. Module-content trend under CTP / CTB 76
Figure 34. Module material value, 2026–2037 78
Figure 35. Pack enclosure architecture (tray, cover, cross-members) 79
Figure 36. Material split of the enclosure by architecture 81
Figure 37. Pack-structural market value, 2026–2037 82
Figure 38. Material market value stack, 2026–2037 84
Figure 39. Value vs volume growth by segment 85
Figure 40. Regional share of material value 86
Figure 41. Geographic concentration (HHI) by segment 87
Figure 42. Cathode demand under chemistry scenarios 91
Figure 43. Anode value under silicon scenarios 92
Figure 44. Binder / additive mix under dry-process scenarios 93
Figure 45. LFP volume under sodium-ion scenarios 94
Figure 46. Nuvvon 1 Ah solid-state lithium-ion pouch cells 338

The Global Secondary Battery Materials Market 2026–2037

PDF + Excel Database download.