SK On, the South Korean battery manufacturer, has unveiled research data about a new cathode material for solid-state batteries (ASSBs). The cathode material is lithium manganese rich layered oxide (LMRO). It has a specific energy density rivalling that of high nickel cathode materials.
SK On said it has filed patent applications for several of its research findings, domestically and internationally.
The study with Dr. Jin Ho Kim’s group at Korea Institute of Ceramic Engineering and Technology focuses on the use of ultrafast photonic sintering technology in the manufacturing of oxide-rich inorganic-organic composite hybrid solid electrolytes. SK On said it is regarded as groundbreaking for applying photonic sintering technology, traditionally used in printed circuit board manufacturing, to the development of ASSBs.
To enhance lithium-ion transport pathways and mechanical strength, oxide-based electrolyte materials typically require high-temperature heat treatment at over 1,000°C. Production costs and challenges such as brittle fractures, have posted significant obstacles to scalability.
Photonic sintering, emphasising its advantages in speed and low-temperature heat treatment, is a potential solution, it said. The team was able to generate a porous microstructure with optimal uniformity.
The researchers successfully produced a hybrid solid electrolyte by combining photonic sintering-processed oxide-based materials with a gel polymer electrolyte. Experimental results showed that batteries using this hybrid electrolyte demonstrated excellent cycle life, it said.
The company said it is developing two types of ASSBs: polymer-oxide composite and sulphide-based, with commercial prototypes expected by 2027 and 2029, respectively. The company’s solid-state battery pilot facility, currently under construction at its research centre in Daejeon, Korea, is set for completion in the second half of 2025.
In another study, conducted with Prof. Kyu Tae Lee’s group at Seoul National University, SK On said it explored the potential of LMRO cathodes for sulphide-based ASSBs, elucidating the degradation mechanism of LMRO cathodes, rather than just their performance.