Prof. Young-joon Kim Developed High-density Electrode Design Technology that Reduces Size of Lithium-ion Batteries through Graphene Coating 

[Image 1] Prof. Young-joon Kim, SKKU Advanced Institute of Nano Technology

The research team of professor Young-joon Kim(co-author), SKKU Advanced Institute of Nano Technology, announces that they developed high-density electrode design technology that reduces size of lithium-ion batteries through graphene (Gr) coating with Chang-won Park (first author, Ph.D. course) and other researchers.

For the existing high-nickel layered anode materials, they have limitations in increasing electrode density due to low strength of particles, and carbon-black materials used as conductive additives are an obstacle to increasing electrode density due to inefficient distribution.

As a way to overcome these problems, Gr of fine particles with excellent electronic conductivity is uniformly coated on the surface of the electrode material to effectively induce the transfer of electrons and reduce friction between particles of anode materials.

By coating on the surface of the anode materials, the use of conductive additives and binders was minimized. This secured 880mAh/cc high-energy electrode technology that overcame 700mAh/cc, which was considered the limit of capacity density of lithium-ion battery anodes, by more than 25%.

[Image 2] Schematic illustration of Gr adsorbed on the surface of non-conductive additives nickel layered anode materials

The research team announced that Gr costing with excellent electronic conductivity, which is different from the existing technology of Gr oxide coating, was implemented through its own discovered surfactant and made it with a simplified process that can be mass-produced.

Prof. Kim said, “This study suggests a new direction for the formulation of existing electrodes, we can expect innovation in electrode composition of high-density lithium-ion batteries, next-generation secondary battery material, and electrode technology in the future.”

This research was published in Nature Communications, IF=12.121, the world-renowned journal on April 9 (Fri) online.

※ Title of paper: Graphene collage on Ni-rich layered oxide cathodes for advanced lithium-ion batteries