STOBA high-safety battery materials were developed by ITRI and won a global technology prize in the 2009 R&D 100 Awards in the United States.

STOBA is a type of macromolecular compound with a nanometer level tree structure. When lithium batteries experience irregularities and produce high temperatures, it will create a thin-film lithium-ion barrier to stabilize the lithium batteries and increase their level of safety. In Taiwan, products such as E-bikes, electric motorcycles, and smartphones already use STOBA materials in their battery production.

In 2012, ITRI and Mitsui Chemicals began to research STOBA and evaluate its market feasibility. Mitsui Chemicals announced that STOBA’s exclusive explosion-proof safety mechanism and using “STOBA-inside” batteries will help to increase the industry’s confidence in lithium batteries in the future and expand the market share for STOBA lithium batteries.

In addition to establishing a STOBA production stronghold in Taiwan, in the future Mitsui Chemicals also plans to integrate macromolecular compound technologies with composite technologies in order to further improve STOBA battery materials to be used in future lithium battery materials and components.

ITRI General Director Jyuo-Min Shyu stated that Mitsui Chemicals is an important representative of Japanese chemical companies and has abundant materials and commodities development and mass production experience as well as close connections with international brand-name auto-manufacturers.

Through this exclusive agreement with Mitsui Chemicals, ITRI is looking forward to popularizing STOBA high-safety battery materials throughout the world with the help of Mitsui Chemical’s connections with the automobile industry.