<2026> Current Status and Long-Term Outlook of Conductive Agents for Lithium-ion Secondary Batteries (~2035)

PUBLISHED: December 24, 2025

PAGES: 241 Pages

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Description

As the global lithium-ion secondary battery market continues to expand, demand is increasing not only for high energy density and high power, but also for secondary batteries capable of fast charging. In a rapidly growing lithium-ion battery market, success is expected to hinge on the enhancement of conductive additive properties and the optimization of conductive additive loading ratios.

The lithium-ion battery industry is conducting R&D in a direction that minimizes the amount of conductive additives used in cathode and anode materials while optimizing electrical conductivity. Accordingly, conductive additive manufacturers are pursuing research and development to improve electrical conductivity, processability, purity, and thermal conductivity.

Recently, within the conductive additive industry, the potential use of CNT materials as substitutes for carbon black has been increasing, leading to a growing importance of pre-dispersion technologies. As customer demand rises for products with superior dispersibility achieved through high-performance dispersion equipment and dispersants, the development of dispersion technologies and the emergence of specialized companies are accelerating.

This report examines the types, characteristics, and development directions of conductive additives, and presents market outlooks by application and by conductive additive type, along with trends among major conductive additive manufacturers, thereby providing insight into how the lithium-ion secondary battery landscape is likely to evolve.

Chapter 1 describes the types, manufacturing methods, and usage levels of conductive additives.

Chapter 2 covers the required characteristics and development trends of lithium-ion secondary batteries.

Chapter 3 examines product-specific characteristics of conductive additives and trends in dispersion technology development, including the theoretical background of dispersion and case studies of actual companies. It also reflects the growth of MW and SW CNT conductive additives in response to silicon-added anodes and fast-charging requirements.

Chapter 4 presents demand, price, and capacity outlooks by application and by conductive additive type through 2035.

Chapters 5 to 7 introduce the current status of approximately 40 major conductive additive suppliers, expanding the supplier pool by conductive additive type.

Lithium-ion secondary batteries, electric vehicles, and ESS markets represent new growth engines with clearly secured future growth. We hope that SNE Research’s findings on conductive additive development trends and market outlooks will provide useful insights to battery manufacturers, related material suppliers, and customers using secondary batteries.

Product Code: 281

1. Conductive Additives Overview

1.1 Types of Conductive Additives
1.2 Required Properties of Conductive Additives
1.3 Electrical Conductivity Characteristics and Percolation Curve
1.4 Key Performance Indicators of Conductive Additives
1.5 Manufacturing Methods of Conductive Additives
- 1.5.1 Carbon Black Manufacturing Method
- 1.5.2 Acetylene Black Manufacturing Method
- 1.5.3 Carbon Nanotube Manufacturing Method
1.6 Usage Volume of Conductive Additives

2. Lithium-Ion Battery Technology Development Trends

2.1 Required Performance of Lithium-Ion Batteries
2.2 Development Trends of Lithium-Ion Batteries

3. Conductive Additive Technology Development Trends

3.1 Development Directions of Conductive Additive Technology
- Recent Development Trends / By Type / High-Conductivity Network Design
- Percolation Threshold Reduction Design
- Uniform Dispersion Control in Slurry
- Intrinsic Properties of SWCNT and High-Efficiency Conductive Networks
- Mechanical Stabilization of Si-Based Anodes Using SWCNT
- SWCNT-Based Slurry-Free and Binder-Free Technologies
- Role and Characteristics of Conductive Binders
- CBD Microstructure Control and Electrode Performance Optimization
- Ultra-High-Conductivity Planar–Point Network Construction Using MXene, Si Anodes
- Application of Graphene as a Cathode Conductive Additive
- Graphene Conductive Additives for High-Rate Performance Improvement of LFP Cathodes
3.2 Characteristics by Conductive Additive Product
- Carbon Black / MWCNT / SWCNT
3.3 Dispersion Issues of Conductive Additives
3.4 Dispersion Methods of Conductive Additives
3.5 Dispersants for Conductive Additive Dispersion

4. Conductive Additive Market Outlook (2020–2035)

4.1 Global LIB Demand Outlook by Application (EV / ESS / CE)
4.2 Conductive Additive Chemistry and Development Trends by Application
4.3 Demand Outlook by Conductive Additive Chemistry (By Weight)
4.4 Market Size Outlook by Conductive Additive Chemistry (By Value)
4.5 Cathode Conductive Additive Demand Outlook (By Weight)
4.6 Cathode Conductive Additive Market Outlook (By Value)
4.7 Anode Conductive Additive Demand Outlook (By Weight)
4.8 Anode Conductive Additive Market Outlook (By Value)
4.9 Comparison of Cathode vs. Anode Conductive Additive Demand and Market Outlook
4.10 Conductive Additive Price Outlook
4.11 Major SCM of Conductive Additives
4.12 Production Capacity Outlook by Conductive Additive Supplier
4.13 Market Share by Conductive Additive Supplier