Graphite felt (GF) is the core component of all-vanadium redox flow batteries, and the market size continues to expand.

Graphite felt (GF), also known as graphite fiber felt, refers to a new carbon-based material produced by high-temperature treatment of carbon felt in vacuum or inert atmosphere. Graphite felt has the advantages of long service life, good ablation resistance, good electrical conductivity, and good thermal insulation performance. It has broad application prospects in battery, petrochemical, photovoltaic, aerospace and other fields.

​According to different base materials, graphite felt can be divided into three types: polyacrylonitrile-based (PAN-based) graphite felt, asphalt-based graphite felt, and viscose-based graphite felt. Polyacrylonitrile-based graphite felt refers to graphite felt made from polyacrylonitrile (PAN) fiber as the base material through processes such as chopped cutting, oxidation, carbonization, and graphitization. Compared with other graphite felts, polyacrylonitrile-based graphite felt has the advantages of strong oxidation resistance, good thermal insulation performance, high strength, and high temperature resistance. It has a wide range of applications and is a mainstream product in the graphite felt market.

As a new carbon-based material, graphite felt has excellent performance and is used in a wide range of fields, including batteries, petrochemicals, photovoltaics, aerospace, etc. In the battery field, graphite felt can be used as an electrode material for all-vanadium redox flow batteries; in the petrochemical industry, graphite felt can be used as a filter material to prepare high-purity chemical preparations; in the photovoltaic field, graphite felt can be used to prepare polycrystalline silicon; in aviation In the aerospace field, graphite felt can be used as aircraft insulation material. According to the “2023-2028 China Graphite Felt (GF) Industry Market In-depth Research and Development Prospects Forecast Report released by the Industrial Research Center It shows that with the growth of application demand, my country’s graphite felt market continues to expand, reaching 1.16 billion yuan in 2022.

The battery field is an emerging demand side for graphite felt. In recent years, benefiting from the accelerated development of the energy storage industry, enthusiasm for the research and development of all-vanadium flow batteries has continued to rise, and its application scope has been further expanded, including grid peak shaving, USP power supply, photovoltaic power generation, wind power generation, etc. As an electrode material, graphite felt is the core component of the all-vanadium redox flow battery, which can increase its operating power density and reduce energy loss caused by charge and discharge cycles. In the future, as the technological maturity of my country’s all-vanadium redox flow battery will continue to improve, its market share will increase. By then, my country’s graphite felt market demand will further grow.

Attracted by market prospects, the number of companies in the graphite felt industry in my country continues to grow, and the market competition is becoming increasingly fierce. Hongchang New Materials, Runsheng Graphite Felt, Hongnaide Carbon Products, Hesheng Graphite Materials, etc. are the main manufacturers of graphite felt in my country. At present, my country’s graphite felt companies focus on the production of mid- to low-end products, and high-end demand is highly dependent on imports.

Industry analysts said that as a new carbon-based material, graphite felt has a wide range of applications. With the gradual release of downstream demand, the industry’s development speed will somewhat accelerated. In recent years, the battery field has gradually become an emerging demand end for graphite felt. In the future, as the prosperity of the all-vanadium redox flow battery industry increases, the graphite felt market space will be further expanded.