LG Energy Solution, South Korea’s leading battery maker, is one step closer to commercializing next-generation batteries by developing groundbreaking innovative technologies in the solid-state battery field.
LG Energy Solution announced that it has developed a new all-solid-state battery technology that can be charged at room temperature at a high speed even at room temperature by going beyond technical limits through joint research with the University of California San Diego (UCSD). Previously, charging was possible only above 60 degrees.
The company said it is the first time that the new solid-state battery has delivered around 500 charge and discharge cycles, while maintaining a capacity retention of 80 percent in laboratory settings at room temperature.
The research results have been published on September 24 in Science, one of the most prestigious scientific journals.
A solid-state battery is a next-generation battery that can improve energy density and enhance safety compared to the lithium-ion battery currently in use by replacing the electrolyte between the positive and negative electrodes of the battery from a liquid to a solid.
However, the existing solid-state battery using lithium metal as a negative electrode to improve energy density is sensitive to temperature and can only be charged in a high temperature environment of 60 degrees or higher, and its slow charging speed has been pointed out as a limitation.
To solve this problem, the research team applied micro silicon anode materials with a particle size of around 5 μm (micrometer) to the anode of a solid-state battery.
The technology developed this time maintains more than 80 percent of the remaining capacity even after more than 500 charging and discharging times.
It is evaluated that the energy density can be increased by about 40 percent compared to the currently commercialized lithium-ion battery, making it a technological step forward for the commercialization of solid-state batteries.
The results of this research are more meaningful as the tasks supported by the Battery Innovation Contest, held annually by LG Energy Solution for open innovation, have led to actual results.
"I am very happy that this meaningful technology development has been published in the Science Journal," said LG Energy Solution CPO President Kim Myung-hwan. "Through the research results, we are one step closer to the commercialization of next-generation solid-state batteries."
"We will continue to lead the global market with differentiated technology in the next-generation battery field through an active open innovation strategy," he add.
