A comparative picture of a rapid charging experiment using a cathode catalyst material developed by Dr. Sangmin Lee’s team at the Korea Electrotechnology Research Institute. Provided by KERI
A research team led by Lee Sang-min, head of the next-generation battery research center at KERI, Professor Park Min-sik of Kyung Hee University, and Professor Jong-won Lee of Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (DGIST), is a breakthrough’cathode catalyst material for the cathode’ that guarantees the performance and safety of batteries even during rapid charging. And coating technology.
Lithium-ion batteries are the principle that lithium ions store and discharge electrical energy while moving between the positive and negative electrodes.
In order to shorten the charging time, lithium ions must move rapidly, and graphite has the advantage of small change in crystal structure during this process, enabling continuous and repetitive oxidation-reduction reactions within the electrode.
However, during rapid charging, lithium metal is deposited on the surface of the graphite negative electrode (deposition, a substance attached to or agglomerated around the solid surface), which lowers the performance and stability of the battery.
The metal phosphide catalyst coating technology developed by KERI solved the disadvantages of such graphite anodes.
The research team identified that the developed catalyst material is useful for the denitrification and desulfurization reactions of petrochemical processes in various research processes, and expected a similar mechanism to operate in charge transfer reactions during rapid battery charging, and continued application research.
As a result, it was found that the catalyst material aided in the desolvation reaction of lithium ions in the battery electrolyte and accelerated the charge transfer reaction, so that even during rapid charging, it did not affect the life or safety of the battery at all.
This achievement provided an opportunity to improve various problems that occur during rapid charging, which was one of the biggest obstacles to the popularization of electric vehicles.
In particular, if the technology is transferred to domestic secondary battery-related companies, it will be able to replace the high-quality’artificial graphite anode material’, which has depended entirely on imports from Japan and China.
Lee Sang-min, head of KERI’s next-generation battery research center, said, “There have been various attempts to solve the shortcomings of rapid charging, but until now, there has been no material technology that can simultaneously maintain high energy density and improve rapid charging performance.” “The material and coating technology significantly reduces the possibility of lithium precipitation in the battery, thereby lowering the risk of heat generation, so we can guarantee both performance and safety even during rapid charging.”
The technology was published in the international academic journal Nature Communications. The research team has completed a patent application at home and abroad related to the developed technology, and believes that the technology will receive a lot of attention from the electric vehicle and power storage system (ESS) industry, it plans to discover related companies and promote technology transfer.
Lee Dong-Ryeol reporter [email protected]
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