What aluminum alloy types are suitable for battery foil?

Aluminum Foil For Battery Packaging

Aluminum foil alloy, as a metal foil with good conductivity and excellent corrosion resistance, has a wide range of applications in the market. It can not only be used as a packaging material in daily life, but also in batteries. Among the many aluminum alloy types, which alloy is a suitable battery foil packaging material?

Aluminum foil is often used as a current collector in the cathode in lithium-ion batteries. Whether an aluminum alloy is suitable for battery foil depends on its conductivity, corrosion resistance, mechanical strength and flexibility.

The following are several aluminum alloy types suitable for battery foil and their characteristics

Aluminum Foil For Battery Packaging
Aluminum Foil For Battery Packaging

1050 battery foil (99.5% pure aluminum)

Composition: 1050 alloy contains 99.5% aluminum, and very small amounts of alloying elements such as silicon (Si) and iron (Fe).

Aluminum foil 1050 alloy has excellent electrical conductivity (about 61% IACS), making it suitable for batteries where efficient current collection is crucial. It has excellent corrosion resistance, which is critical to protect the foil from degradation during the battery life. High thermal conductivity is very important for managing heat in battery systems. Pure aluminum (1050) has relatively low strength, but is often strong enough for use as battery foil due to its flexibility.

Alloy 1060 battery Foil

Composition: 1060 alloy is 99.6% aluminum and is a slightly purer version of 1050 alloy.
The conductivity of 1060 alloy is similar to 1050 (about 60% IACS), which makes it well suited for current collector applications. High ductility makes it easy to process into thin foils, which is ideal for continuous rolling processes in battery manufacturing.

Alloy 1070 battery Foil (99.7% Pure Aluminum)

Composition: 1070 alloy is 99.7% aluminum, making it purer than 1050 and 1060.
With a conductivity of about 62% IACS, 1070 is one of the most conductive aluminum alloys. Corrosion Resistance and Flexibility Similar to 1050 and 1060, it has excellent corrosion resistance and flexibility, which is important for foil applications in batteries.
1070 alloy is popular in high-performance lithium-ion batteries where maximum conductivity and minimum resistance are critical.

Alloy 1235 battery Foil (99.35% Pure Aluminum)

Composition: 1235 alloy contains 99.35% aluminum.
While slightly less conductive than 1050, 1060, and 1070 alloys, 1235 aluminum foil still provides adequate conductivity for many battery applications. It has excellent corrosion resistance. 1235 is often used in applications where cost considerations are important and slightly lower conductivity can be tolerated. For less demanding applications or where cost reduction is a priority, 1235 alloy is a cost-effective choice.

Alloy 3003 battery Foil (Aluminum Manganese Alloy)

Composition: Alloy 3003 consists of aluminum and about 1.2% manganese (Mn), which gives it increased strength compared to pure aluminum alloys.
Although 3003 aluminum foil has lower conductivity than pure aluminum grades (about 40-45% IACS), it is still acceptable for some battery applications. The addition of manganese increases mechanical strength, which is useful in certain battery configurations where the foil is subjected to mechanical stress.
Corrosion Resistance: Similar corrosion resistance to pure aluminum grades, suitable for long-term use in batteries.