South Korean battery technology advancements

South Korean researchers and industry players are advancing battery technologies to improve stability and energy density for large-scale applications.

At Chonnam National University, researchers developed a tri-layer composite solid electrolyte (CSE) for lithium-metal batteries. Inspired by mussel adhesive proteins, this design uses a central hard layer to prevent the growth of dangerous lithium dendrites. Laboratory tests showed the cells could maintain over 80% capacity after 1,000 cycles.

In a separate development, LG Energy Solution and Seoul National University researchers have focused on Lithium Manganese-Rich (LMR) batteries. LMR technology is viewed as a cost-effective alternative for electric vehicles because it utilizes manganese instead of expensive cobalt. However, these batteries often face challenges with internal pressure increases and performance loss caused by oxygen oxidation during charging.

A breakthrough published in Nature Communications, led by Professor Jongwoo Lim, has addressed these issues of gas evolution and capacity degradation. By adjusting the operating voltage range—lowering the upper charging voltage from 4.6V to 4.3V and extending the lower discharge voltage to 2.0V—the team significantly improved oxygen reversibility.

Testing on a 40Ah-class LMR large-format cell demonstrated that it could maintain 92.2% of its initial energy after 883 charge-discharge cycles. This progress supports the feasibility of LMR technology for large-scale electric vehicle batteries, with LG Energy Solution aiming for mass production by 2028.