Samsung SDI Says It Has "Overcome the Limits of Next-Generation Lithium Metal Batteries"... Published in Top Energy Journal "Joule"

Simultaneous Improvements in Lifespan and Safety... Boosting the Commercialization Potential of Next-Generation Batteries
Joint Research by Domestic Research Institute, Samsung SDI R&D America, and Columbia University
Head of Research Institute Joo

A technology that can dramatically improve the performance of lithium metal batteries, known as "next-generation batteries," has been developed by a joint South Korea-U.S. research team led by Samsung SDI.

Samsung SDI announced on the 23rd that, through an industry-academia collaboration with Columbia University in the United States, it has succeeded in developing a new electrolyte composition that can simultaneously enhance the lifespan and safety of lithium metal batteries.

Lee Seungwoo, Vice President and Head of the Next-Generation Development Team at Samsung SDI Research Institute; Kim Yongseok, Director of Samsung SDI's U.S. Research Institute (SDIRA); Yuan Yang, Columbia University professor (from left). Samsung SDI

The core of this research is that it overcomes the limitations of lithium metal batteries, which currently have the highest energy density among existing technologies but a relatively short lifespan.

Compared with conventional nickel-cobalt-manganese (NCM) batteries, lithium metal batteries offer an energy density 1.6 times higher and are regarded as one of the key technologies for future industries, including next-generation wearable devices. However, their commercialization has been constrained because they can only endure several dozen charge-discharge cycles.

The joint research team from Samsung SDI and Columbia University applied a "gel polymer electrolyte" to extend the lifespan of lithium metal batteries while also improving their safety, thus finding a breakthrough solution to this long-standing problem. By developing a gel polymer electrolyte that utilizes fluorine components and forming a stable interface on the anode surface, the team effectively suppressed dendrites, which had been a major factor degrading the performance of conventional lithium metal batteries. Dendrites are crystalline structures that appear when lithium ions moving from the cathode to the anode during charging accumulate on the anode surface, and they reduce both the lifespan and safety of the battery.

Within the industry, this research outcome is expected to present a new technological approach that can significantly improve the energy efficiency and safety of next-generation batteries, potentially reshaping the competitive landscape of the battery sector.

Recognizing these achievements, the research paper led by the Samsung SDI Research Institute has been published in the latest issue of Joule, one of the world's most prestigious academic journals in the field of energy. Joule is a specialized energy journal launched in 2017 by Cell Press in the United States, publisher of Cell, one of the world's top three academic journals, and is considered one of the most influential journals globally.

The paper lists as co-authors Vice President Lee Seungwoo and Professional Researcher Woo Hyunsik from the Samsung SDI Research Institute; Director Kim Yongseok and Professional Researchers Yang Li and Yuanyuan Ma from Samsung SDI R&D America (SDI R&D America, SDIRA); and Professor Yuan Yang of Columbia University. The work has also been recognized as a model case of global industry-academia collaboration.

Joo Yongrak, Head of the Samsung SDI Research Institute (Vice President), said, "This paper is highly meaningful in that the technology to improve the safety of lithium metal batteries, which had long been cited as a weakness, has now been academically validated," adding, "We will continue to accelerate the development of next-generation battery technologies based on our domestic and international research networks."

Professor Yuan Yang of Columbia University said, "This research achievement has brought us one step closer to the commercialization of next-generation batteries."