SK Innovation Partners with Georgia Tech to Accelerate the Solid-State Battery Era

[Asia Economy Reporter Hwang Yoon-joo] SK Innovation announced on the 16th that it has decided to collaborate with Professor Lee Seung-woo and his team at Georgia Tech to accelerate the era of next-generation all-solid-state batteries.

All-solid-state batteries refer to batteries that replace the liquid electrolyte currently used in batteries with a solid electrolyte. They are gaining attention as future batteries because they can increase battery capacity while significantly reducing weight, volume, and fire risk. Although there are still many challenges to overcome before development is complete, they are called the "dream battery." SK Innovation and Professor Lee’s research team have established a collaborative system in the all-solid-state battery field, which could become a "game changer" in the electric vehicle market.

Professor Lee Seung-woo, in collaboration with KAIST, developed an innovative rubber-type polymer solid electrolyte, and his paper was featured in the world-renowned journal Nature on the 13th, marking him as a leading scholar in the field. The solid electrolyte developed by Professor Lee improved the ionic conductivity, which was considered a drawback of existing solid electrolytes, by 100 times while simultaneously securing elasticity similar to rubber. Ionic conductivity refers to how well ions can move inside the battery.

Since it has been a challenge to implement a solid electrolyte that simultaneously secures ionic conductivity and safety, the solid electrolyte developed by Professor Lee is regarded as an innovative research achievement. By adopting this technology, it is expected that the driving range of electric vehicles, currently about 500 km on a single charge, could extend to 800 km.

SK Innovation expects to accelerate the development of all-solid-state batteries by combining its independently secured all-solid-state battery technology with Professor Lee’s research achievements.

Meanwhile, SK Innovation is focusing on the development of all-solid-state batteries not only through its own research but also through active external collaborations. In October last year, it began jointly developing all-solid-state batteries with Solid Power in the U.S., which can be manufactured using existing lithium-ion battery production facilities. Since 2020, it has continued collaboration with Professor John Goodenough of the University of Texas, well known as a Nobel laureate.