KRICT researchers develop cathode technology for high-capacity batteries
Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology (KRICT) research team members pose together in this undated handout photo. From left are senior researcher Suk Jung-don, researchers Park Jin-kyu and Lee Ga-ram and senior researcher Moon San. Courtesy of KRICT
A research team at the Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology (KRICT) has developed a new cathode technology that could help batteries store more energy without increasing their size or weight, the institute said Monday.
The team, led by senior researchers Moon San and Suk Jung-don, developed a new dry thick cathode technology that improves the movement of lithium ions inside electrodes. The research was featured as the cover article of the international academic journal Exploration in August, with post-master's researcher Eun Hye-ji as the first author.
The technology uses graphitic carbon nitride as an additive in dry cathodes for the first time, helping the electrolyte penetrate deeper into the electrode and reducing the energy required for lithium ions to enter the cathode material.
One way to produce high-energy-density batteries is to make electrodes thicker, as this allows more active material to be packed into the same area. However, as electrodes become thicker, lithium ions have more difficulty moving through them, preventing the battery from fully utilizing the energy stored inside.
The researchers used porous graphitic carbon nitride to address this problem. Nitrogen on the surface of the additive temporarily binds with lithium ions, helping them move into the cathode material more easily, while its porous structure allows the electrolyte to spread more evenly throughout the electrode.
The researchers found that the technology reduced the activation energy required for lithium-ion movement by 56 percent, from 49.8 kilojoules per mole to 22.1 kilojoules per mole.
With 0.5 percent of the additive, the electrode showed a 166 percent increase in capacity during high-rate discharge, while its power density increased by up to 2.85 times.
“The significance of this research is that we were able to improve ion transport with just 0.5 percent of the additive, while optimizing not only the amount of the additive but also its placement and the electrode structure,” Moon said.
KRICT President Shin Seok-min said the technology could benefit a wide range of industries, including electric vehicles, energy storage systems and robotics, if the simple and cost-effective additive process can be applied to large-scale batteries and its production yield can be verified.