Henan Shenhuo's smelter in Yunnan came online on December 31

[SMM Aluminum Weekly Review: Weekly Aluminum Ingot Destocking Pace Shrinks; Amid Macro and Fundamental Tug-of-War Between Longs and Shorts, Aluminum Prices Expected to Consolidate on a Strong Note in the Short Term]

[SMM Aluminum Express News] Eqonic Group has confirmed that aluminum is the core material behind its next-generation battery technology, positioning the metal as an alternative to lithium, sodium and rare earth-based chemistries. The UK company said its proprietary aluminum-based battery has successfully demonstrated laboratory-scale performance and is designed to offer improved safety, lower costs, greater recyclability and reduced reliance on critical minerals. Eqonic said the technology is initially targeting long-duration stationary energy storage, industrial applications and critical infrastructure rather than electric vehicles. The company is continuing research and commercialisation efforts, with support from the UK Government's Battery Innovation Programme to advance manufacturing and scale-up of its aluminum-based battery platform.

[Solid-State Battery: Crown Advanced Materials Completes Client Sample Trial of Solid-State Battery Aluminum-Plastic Film, Significantly Enhancing High-Temperature Resistance] On August 5, 2026, Crown Advanced Materials stated, while responding to investor inquiries on an interactive platform, that the company had strengthened the R&D of solid-state battery aluminum-plastic film in response to market demand and had completed client sample trials. The R&D team for the aluminum-plastic film addressed the high-temperature resistance needs of solid-state batteries by selecting a modified resin that withstands 120°C for the composite bonding material, which improved the interlayer peel strength by over 40% in an 85°C temperature environment and by over 50% in a 120°C temperature environment. This ensures the stability of the product's interlayer peel strength under high temperatures, providing a new technical solution for solid-state battery packaging materials.