"Humanoid Robot Battery Acceleration" IL, Secures Core Lithium Metal Technology

[Financial News] Advanced materials company IL has secured core technology for high-stability anodes that will accelerate the commercialization of next-generation lithium metal batteries. This achievement is considered a significant turning point in IL's growth strategy, targeting both the humanoid robot and ultra-high energy density battery markets simultaneously.
According to IL on the 15th, lithium metal batteries are next-generation batteries that replace the graphite anode of existing lithium-ion batteries with lithium metal, enabling simultaneous improvement in energy density, output, weight reduction, and miniaturization. Until now, the 'dendrite' phenomenon, where lithium metal grows like branches during charging and discharging, has been pointed out as an obstacle to commercialization due to its potential to shorten battery life, cause internal short circuits, and pose a fire hazard.
IL's research team has been intensively developing dendrite suppression technology for years. In this regard, they have secured three core process technologies: uniform deposition-inducing surface treatment, 3D collector rapid lithium impregnation, and in-situ protective layer formation, effectively solving the problem. The technology, verified at the lab scale, is significant in that it effectively suppresses uneven deposition and dendrite growth, solving the core challenge of implementing long-life, high-stability lithium metal batteries.
Furthermore, if IL's developed region-specific selective surface-treated 3D collector is applied to an anode-free all-solid-state battery, it can simultaneously achieve uniform deposition, current collection function, and deposition space provision. This is expected to simplify the manufacturing process and reduce costs. IL has completed the domestic patent application for this technology and is speeding up its overseas market penetration through 'PCT' international applications.
According to market research firm SNE Research, the global lithium metal battery market is expected to grow at an average annual rate of 64%, from $200 million last year to $47 billion by 2035. Fortune Business Insights predicts that the humanoid robot market will grow from $2.43 billion in 2023 to $66 billion by 2032.
As demand for high-energy-density and lightweight batteries is expected to explode in both markets, IL's lithium metal anode technology is expected to quickly spread in the market from the time of commercialization.
An IL official said, "This technology not only secures performance but also mass production, significantly advancing the commercialization timeline," adding, "We will focus on optimizing roll-to-roll production equipment patent technology and establishing a mass production system to leap forward as a global leading company in the humanoid robot and next-generation mobility markets."

butter@fnnews.com Kang Kyung-rae Reporter