POSTECH announced on Friday that a research team led by Professor Park Kyu Young from the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, in collaboration with UNIST (Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology) and KIST (Korea Institute of Science and Technology), has made significant strides in improving the manufacturing process for eco-friendly dry-based batteries.
Dry electrode technology, which eliminates the need for solvents, is hailed as a groundbreaking core technology for next-generation batteries. It offers environmental benefits and reduces production costs. An added advantage is its ability to produce thicker electrodes, enabling greater energy storage in the same volume. However, commercialization has been hindered by slow processing speeds and the electrode structure’s tendency to collapse easily.
The research team identified the kneading process as the primary bottleneck in dry electrode production. This process, akin to kneading dough, is crucial in mixing battery materials and determining the electrode’s structure and properties. To address this, they developed a novel approach to precisely control the active material’s surface structure. Previously, scientists struggled to accurately manage the changes occurring during this critical stage.
The team’s innovative kneading process has slashed processing time by over 75%, reducing battery production time to just a quarter of its previous duration. Moreover, the researchers report that electrode strength has improved more than threefold. Perhaps most impressively, they’ve cut binder usage to one-tenth of its previous level, significantly increasing energy storage capacity within the same volume.
The groundbreaking results of this study were published in the online edition of Advanced Energy Materials, a prestigious international journal in the field of energy materials.