• Receiving the first prize at the Jang Young-shil Awards in the 14^th week of 2019 for its copper foil used in high-capacity lithium secondary batteries

• In recognition of its world-class technological prowess with which the Company strengthened the performance of batteries drastically in terms of elongation percentage and tensile strength

SK nexilis, SKC’s wholly owned investee specializing in copper foil production, had its sheer technological prowess recognized once again by receiving the Presidential Award at the 2019 IR52 Jang Young-shil Awards.

SK nexilis received the Presidential Award at the 2019 IR52 Jang Young-shil Awards ceremony held on July 10 under the sponsorship of the Ministry of Science and ICT (MSIT). The IR52 Jang Young-shil Awards are regarded as the most authoritative among the awards concerning technology/engineering. Said awards are presented to products selected on a weekly basis, with the best one receiving the Presidential Award. SK nexilis received the award in the 14^th week of 2019 for its copper foil used in high-capacity lithium secondary batteries.

SK nexilis succeeded in the development of copper foil that goes a long way in enhancing the performance of batteries. Due to repeated recharging, batteries are deformed, or their performance drops owing to repeated expansion/contraction of cathode and anode. The physical property of copper foil, which is a core material for cathode, should be good to prevent a drop in the performance of batteries.

SK nexilis enhanced the elongation percentage of its copper foil so that batteries may withstand the repeated contraction/expansion. The company also improved the chronic problem of wrinkles or folding that occurs in the process of battery production by increasing tensile strength by about 1.7 times. It optimized an array of conditions such as galvanizing solution, types of additives, galvanizing temperature, etc. _ base_d on its world-class technological prowess.

In October 2019, SK nexilis succeeded in the mass production of the world’s thinnest (4㎛) copper foil 1.4m wide and 30km long (world’s longest unit of copper foil). The use of ultra-thin copper foil enables containing a lot of active materials in the battery, which means higher efficiency. The longer and wider the copper foil is, the easier it is to cut it to the sizes required by customers, which means higher productivity.

 “Winning the IR52 Presidential Award is a result of our continued R&D for the production of high-quality copper foil. We will maintain our position as the world’s No.1 copper foil manufacturer _ base_d on our superior technological prowess and through investment,” an SK nexilis official said.

First held in 1991, the IR52 Jang Young-shil Awards ceremony is an event hosted by MSIT and co-sponsored by the Korean Industrial Technology Association and Maeil Business Newspaper. The awards are aimed at encouraging the development of technologies through the exploration of research results obtained by domestic businesses and technological institutes.

[SK nexilis won the Presidential Award at the 2019 IR52 Jang Yeong-shil Awards.]

  [Mr. Jeon, Sang-hyeon, Chief of the Central R&D Center of SK nexilis (4^th from right), poses after receiving the Presidential Award at the 2019 IR52 Jang Yeong-shil Awards from Science and ICT Vice Minister Jeong, Byeong-seon (5^th from right)]