Lithium-Ion Battery Anode Material Fired at 100°C or Below

[Financial News] A technology has been developed to produce a key high-performance lithium-ion battery material at temperatures of 100°C or below, lower than the boiling point of water, without applying extreme heat. The technology is drawing attention for its potential to improve price competitiveness in the electric vehicle battery market by reducing energy use and production costs while significantly increasing storage capacity and lifespan.
Konkuk University announced on the 7th that a joint research team led by Jo Han-ik of the Department of Chemical, Biological and Energy Engineering at Konkuk University and Haesun Park of Chung-Ang University had succeeded in maximizing the performance and stability of manganese dioxide, a next-generation anode material, using only a low-temperature process at 100°C or below.
Anode materials are key battery components that store lithium ions during charging and release them during discharge. The manganese studied by the team is considered a strong candidate to replace conventional graphite anodes because it is abundant on Earth, inexpensive, and has a relatively low environmental impact. However, its poor electrical conductivity and tendency to suffer structural collapse after repeated charging and discharging have long been major obstacles.
The research team addressed these problems by mixing graphene oxide, a carbon-based material, with manganese dioxide and inducing a chemical reaction at a low temperature of 100°C or below.
The key to the process was the creation of atomic-scale vacancies inside the material. The team removed some oxygen atoms from the manganese material, creating numerous empty spaces known as oxygen vacancies. These vacancies increase conductivity within the electrode and serve as a kind of "highway" through which lithium ions can move freely.
In the past, creating such empty spaces required high-temperature heat treatment at several hundred degrees or more, or complex chemical processes. This consumed substantial amounts of electricity and could burn or damage the material. By contrast, the research team created the vacancies without damage by adjusting only the reaction conditions at a low temperature. As a result, the team achieved battery capacity close to the theoretical maximum storage capacity.
The team also improved battery lifespan and durability. Through low-temperature heat treatment, the researchers strengthened the bonding at the interface where the manganese and graphene meet. This prevented the electrode structure from expanding or cracking even after countless charge-discharge cycles, allowing it to maintain stable performance over an extended period.
Jo Han-ik, a professor at Konkuk University, explained, "We have proposed a new design strategy that can significantly reduce energy consumption compared with conventional high-temperature processes while maximizing material performance." He added, "The strategy could be widely applied not only to manganese dioxide but also to a variety of metal-oxide battery composite materials."
Lee Seon-young, a doctoral student at Konkuk University, Kim Myeong-gyun, a researcher, and Shin Jong-hun, a master's student at Chung-Ang University, participated as joint first authors. The research was supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF), affiliated with the Ministry of Science and ICT, and the Korea Institute for Advancement of Technology (KIAT). The findings were published in the international academic journal Journal of Energy Storage.

[email protected] Kim Man-gi Reporter