Refined cobalt chemical used directly in cathode manufacture.
A chemical compound (CoSO4) used as a critical input for lithium-ion battery cathodes, particularly in NMC (nickel-manganese-cobalt) battery chemistries. Most cobalt is produced as a by-product of copper and nickel mining in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Cobalt is the battery input with the sharpest ethical and concentration risk, most of it sourced from the DRC and refined in China. Western supply is a policy objective as much as a commercial one.