Dong-A University Professor Lee Jeongkyu's Team Achieves High Performance in Next-Generation Lithium-Sulfur All-Solid-State Battery

Published in the Prestigious 'Chemical Engineering Journal'
Expected Applications in Various IT Devices Such as Electric Vehicles, Drones, and Robots

Dong-A University (President Lee Haewoo) announced on the 7th that Professor Lee Jeongkyu's team from the Department of Chemical Engineering (BK21 Four) has published a paper in the April issue of the 'Chemical Engineering Journal (IF 13.4, JCR Top 3.7%)' on technology that enables high-performance next-generation 'lithium-sulfur all-solid-state batteries'.

This research was supported by the 'Next-Generation Promising Seed Technology Commercialization Fast Track Project' of the Korea Institute for Advancement of Technology and the 'Energy Workforce Training Project' of the Korea Energy Agency. The first author of the paper is Dr. Karuppu Murugesan from Dong-A University, with graduate students Bae Jeongwoo and Son Chansik as co-authors.

Lithium-sulfur secondary batteries are being developed as low-cost, high-energy next-generation secondary batteries. However, due to the low conductivity of sulfur and issues such as lithium polysulfide dissolution and migration during discharge with excess liquid electrolyte, it is known to be difficult to achieve theoretical capacity (1675mAh/gs) and high charge/discharge efficiency (>99%).

Professor Lee Jeongkyu's team designed a 'lithium-sulfur all-solid-state battery' to solve the problems of liquid electrolyte-based lithium-sulfur secondary batteries, achieving high capacity close to the theoretical value of sulfur and high charge/discharge efficiency.

To achieve this, Professor Lee Jeongkyu's team applied their existing original patented technology to uniformly load sulfur inside carbon particles with ideal-sized micropores (about 10nm in diameter) and added a small amount of carbon nanotubes as a conductive agent to create a 'composite cathode material'.

The research team also secured interfacial stability between the cathode material and the sulfide-based all-solid-state electrolyte using a solution mixing method, successfully achieving a top-level capacity close to sulfur's theoretical value (>1550 mAh/gs) and charge/discharge efficiency (99.9%, 300 cycles).

Professor Lee Jeongkyu said, "Lithium-sulfur all-solid-state batteries have a significant price advantage compared to conventional lithium secondary batteries using expensive metal oxide cathodes (Nickel = 16,214 US$/ton, Sulfur = 115 US$/ton, 2025 international price), and offer higher safety against explosion and higher energy density, making them promising as next-generation secondary batteries." He added, "They are expected to be applied not only in electric vehicles but also in various IT devices such as drones and robots."