LiFSI's mainstream transaction price was more than 10% below LiPF6 as of October 2026, under lithium carbonate prices of about 100,000 yuan per tonne, according to a Gaogong Lithium Battery report citing GGII data. The report said falling costs have made LiFSI a cost-reduction option for downstream customers replacing LiPF6.
Process improvements, scale-up and lower raw material prices have cut LiFSI costs by more than 60% over the past five years, according to the report. LiFSI's lithium mass fraction is 3.71%, below LiPF6's 4.57%, meaning less lithium equivalent is needed per tonne and the cost advantage widens as lithium prices rise.
The LiFSI addition ratio in electrolytes has gradually moved from 0.5-2% toward 2-4%, and the report said the ratio is expected to keep rising. Some leading battery makers have begun verifying the technical feasibility of electrolyte formulations with a 6% LiFSI addition ratio.
According to chart data in the report, the LiFSI addition ratio rose from 0.1-1.5% in 2018-2021 to 1.5-2% in 2021-2023, then 1.5-3% with some formulations above 4% in 2023-2025 and 2-4% with some above 5% in 2025-2026. For 2026 onward the chart shows 3-6%, with some formulations above 7%.
The report said the industry-accepted fix for LiFSI's corrosion of aluminum foil current collectors is adding LiODFB as a lithium-based additive, which suppresses corrosion while retaining LiFSI's advantages. It also expects the combined application ratio of LiPF6, LiFSI and LiODFB to keep rising and become one of the core lithium salt systems in electrolytes. GGII expects LiFSI's combined electrolyte addition ratio to reach 4-6% by 2030.