The Use of Aluminum Foil in Cable and Battery

Generally speaking, aluminum foil battery refers to the aluminum foil used for the positive electrode current collector of lithium batteries. On the one hand, the battery positive electrode foil is the current collector electrode, and on the other hand, it is the carrier of the lithium battery positive electrode material, that is, the lithium battery material must be coated on it.

The aluminum foil for battery is an important raw material for lithium battery production. The positive electrode consists of positive electrode tabs, high-temperature tape, positive electrode current collector aluminum foil and positive electrode material. The thickness of the positive electrode current collector aluminum foil is generally 0.010mm-0.015mm.

The cathode current collector aluminum foil of high-end power batteries has a high technical content. Aluminum foil for current collectors is mainly made of 1060, 1070, 1100, 1235, 3003 and other alloys. The mainstream thickness specification is 10-20μm, and some battery manufacturers use 8μm. The future direction is to continue to thin, and may even be reduced to 6μm.

The batter aluminum has a very complex production process, which involves multiple rolling processes and heat treatment processes such as alloy casting, homogenization, casting and rolling, cold rolling, intermediate annealing, foil rolling, etc., and each node is interlocked. Based on this, the yield rate of battery aluminum foil production lines is generally not high. Haomei Aluminum can reach 70%.

Cable aluminum foil is a common cable covering material that offers many advantages, such as corrosion resistance and superior electrical conductivity.

Firstly, cable aluminum foil has excellent corrosion resistance. Aluminum has good antioxidant properties and can form a dense oxide film in the air, effectively preventing further oxidation reactions. This oxide film can protect the aluminum foil from corrosive substances such as oxygen, moisture, acid and alkali in the atmosphere, thereby extending the service life of the cable.

Aluminum foil has a lower electrical potential than other metals and is therefore better able to resist galvanic corrosion. In addition, aluminum foil is resistant to UV radiation, allowing it to be used in outdoor environments for extended periods of time without damage.

Secondly, aluminum foil for cable has excellent conductive properties. Aluminum is an excellent conductive material with an electrical conductivity of approximately 377,000 L/m, which is close to that of copper. Therefore, using aluminum foil as a cable covering material can ensure low resistance and high efficiency when the cable transmits signals. Additionally, aluminum has a lighter weight than copper, making cables using aluminum foil lighter and easier to install. This is particularly important when routing cables, especially in large-scale projects, to reduce material and labor costs.

In addition to its excellent corrosion resistance and electrical conductivity, aluminum cable foil has several other advantages. First of all, aluminum foil has good thermal conductivity properties, which can help the cable dissipate heat and improve the working efficiency and stability of the cable. Secondly, aluminum foil has good plasticity and cutability, making it easy for manufacturers to process and customize according to actual needs. In addition, aluminum foil has a lower cost and is more affordable than other metal materials.

However, cable foil also has some limitations. Firstly, aluminum has relatively low strength and is prone to deformation or damage, so protective measures are required in cable applications. Secondly, the welding performance of aluminum foil is relatively poor and is not as easy to weld as copper. Finally, due to the poor conductivity of aluminum foil, it has a lower current carrying capacity than copper. Therefore, in some scenarios with high current load requirements, other materials may need to be considered.