South Korean company plans to mass-produce sulfide-based electrolytes for solid-state batteries

[Courtesy of the Korea Electrotechnology Research Institute]

SEOUL – A government-backed research facility in South Korea has transferred technology to a domestic company to mass-produce sulfide-based solid electrolytes for solid-state batteries at low prices. Solid-state batteries are considered the next generation power source for electric vehicles because solid electrolytes are non-flammable and more stable. They can have a higher energy density than lithium-ion batteries.

Using technology transferred from Korea Electrotechnology Research Institute (KERI), Daejoo Electronic Materials, which manufactures silicon anode materials, will build pilot production facilities by 2022 and develop various silicon materials that can replace lithium metal anodes for solid state batteries.

“It is an achievement that can solve both the low price and mass production problems of solid electrolytes that are key to the commercialization of solid-state batteries,” KERI researcher Ha Yoon-cheol said in a statement on Oct.25. Through this technology transfer, solid electrolytes are mass-produced and play a leading role in the commercialization of so-called all-solid-state batteries, which are called dream batteries. “

Lithium sulfide (Li2S) for solid state batteries is expensive and requires a lot of energy to manufacture. Ha’s research team has developed a method by which sulfide-based solid electrolytes can be mass-produced at low prices using a simple “one-pot” solution synthesis process. A one-pot synthesis improves the efficiency of a chemical reaction by subjecting a reactant to successive chemical reactions in only one reactor.

The research team has developed a method in which lithium, sulfur, phosphorus and halogen elements are co-precipitated to produce solid electrolytes at the same level as the energy and costly method of using expensive lithium sulfide.

Solid-state batteries allow faster charging, higher voltage, and longer life. However, the challenges for widespread adoption include energy and power density, durability, material cost, sensitivity, and stability.
Sulphide-based solid-state batteries use lithium metal as the anode material to enable high energy density and safety.

In July, the Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI), together with the Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (DGIST), developed a new electrode structure for a solid-state battery without the use of titanium disulfide (TiS2). The new structure has an active material made of highly compressed TiS2 and binding agents. The new structure can achieve an energy density approximately 1.3 times higher than that of solid electrolytes.

© Aju Business Daily & www.ajunews.com Copyright: No material on this site may be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcasted without permission from Aju News Corporation.