This technology designs a 3D network binder by cross-linking polymers grafted with catecholamine and aminophenylboronic acid via boronic ester bonds to suppress the volume expansion of silicon anodes. The dynamic reversible nature of boronic ester bonds provides self-healing capabilities, while residual catecholamine enhances mechanical strength through superior adhesion.
Silicon (Si) anodes undergo rapid volume changes of up to 400% during charge and discharge cycles, leading to cracks and structural collapse within the electrode. This disrupts lithium-ion and electron transport pathways, causes unstable SEI layer formation, and triggers repeated side reactions with the electrolyte, resulting in capacity loss and rapid degradation of battery life.
This technology utilizes a copolymer binder created by grafting dopamine (catecholamine) and aminophenylboronic acid onto carboxylate-containing polymers, which are then cross-linked via boronic ester bonds. The binder forms a 3D network within the electrode to mechanically suppress volume expansion. Its reversible bonds repair damaged electrode structures, while dopamine groups improve adhesion to the current collector and active materials. Suitable for next-generation EV cells and smartphone batteries using high-capacity silicon or silicon-graphite composite anodes, it minimizes capacity loss from electrode delamination and cracking while allowing for higher silicon content.
This technology optimizes generator operation by introducing a Power-base BMS (PBBMS) to maintain ship generator loads within the optimal 80–85% range. It manages real-time charging and discharging based on battery SOC (State of Charge) and SOH (State of Health) data, while incorporating a redundant cell replacement feature.
In electric propulsion and marine power systems, generators often operate at low loads, leading to reduced energy efficiency and uneconomical operation. Furthermore, excessive carbon dioxide emissions during port entry and departure have been a persistent challenge.
This technology places a PBBMS circuit between the battery and the LCS, discharging the battery when the generator load exceeds 85% and charging it when it falls below 80% to maintain a steady 80–85% load. Additionally, it stores cell-specific SOC in an EEPROM and uses a relay control module to automatically replace faulty cells with redundant cells. Applicable to hybrid propulsion ships, harbor vessels, and offshore plant power systems, it minimizes the number of active generators, thereby reducing both carbon emissions and fuel consumption during port operations.
This invention was developed with support from the Ministry of Education for the development of power systems for green aids to navigation.
This technology improves leaching efficiency by performing a roasting process before leaching, using low-grade graphite separated from spent lithium-ion battery anodes as a reducing agent to convert cathode metal oxides, such as cobalt and nickel, into their metallic states.
In conventional hydrometallurgical leaching, cathode materials exist as metal oxides, resulting in slow dissolution rates in sulfuric acid and low leaching efficiency. This necessitates the use of additional external reducing agents.
This technology involves mixing low-grade graphite recovered from spent batteries with cathode materials and roasting the mixture in an oxygen-free atmosphere at 1030–1090°C to reduce metal oxides to pure metals before acid leaching. Applicable to hydrometallurgical recycling plants or cobalt/nickel recovery lines, it reduces costs by eliminating the need for external reducing agents and repurposes waste graphite as a process resource.
This invention was developed with support from the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy for the development of advanced hydrometallurgical technologies to increase the value of recovered resources.
This technology involves depositing amorphous lithium titanium oxide (LTO) nanoparticles onto the surface of spherical carbon templates via hydrothermal synthesis, followed by heat treatment in an oxidizing atmosphere at 500–700°C to remove the carbon, resulting in a hollow spherical LTO structure.
Conventional LTO synthesis processes often suffer from particle growth during high-temperature sintering, which reduces the specific surface area and degrades high-rate charge/discharge performance. Furthermore, using amorphous LTO presents challenges in securing lithium-ion diffusion pathways due to low crystallinity.
By forming a hollow structure through the deposition of nanoparticles onto carbon templates, this technology increases the contact area with the electrolyte. Additionally, by optimizing the heat treatment temperature to around 600°C, it achieves a balance between crystallinity and particle size. Applicable as an anode material for both lithium-ion batteries and lithium-ion capacitors, it is highly valuable for high-power applications, maintaining over 90% of its initial capacity after 1,000 cycles even at 10C.
This technology involves doping the ZnMn2O4 spinel structure—a cathode active material for aqueous zinc-ion batteries—with nickel. This process converts the crystal structure from tetragonal to cubic and reduces the Mn3+ content, thereby suppressing manganese dissolution and improving ion diffusion pathways.
Conventional ZnMn2O4 cathode materials suffer from manganese dissolution into the electrolyte due to the disproportionation reaction of Mn3+. Furthermore, electrostatic repulsion between zinc ions within the lattice leads to poor rate capability and reduced cycle life.
This technology utilizes a co-precipitation method to synthesize ZnMn2-xNixO4 (1.0≤x≤1.5), which replaces Mn3+ with Mn4+, mitigates Jahn-Teller distortion, and expands the lattice volume to facilitate smoother zinc-ion transport. Suitable for residential and industrial ESS using non-flammable aqueous electrolytes as well as safety-critical wearable power sources, it achieves a specific capacity of over 70mAh/g and rapid charge-discharge performance without capacity degradation caused by manganese dissolution.
This technology forms a crystalline organic electrolyte (SCOE) with a co-crystal structure by combining a sulfone-based solvent and an alkali metal bis(fluorosulfonyl)imide (MFSI) salt in a specific molar ratio. This ensures thermal stability and ionic conductivity at high temperatures, while the melt-casting process improves electrode interface resistance.
Existing organic solid electrolytes, such as those based on succinonitrile, have low melting points below 50°C, leading to instability during high-temperature operation. Furthermore, they suffer from low ionic conductivity and poor wettability with electrodes, resulting in high interface resistance.
This technology creates a crystalline organic solid electrolyte by mixing a sulfone-based solvent with a melting point of 50–170°C and an MFSI salt in a 1:9 to 4:6 molar ratio. By applying this via a melt-casting method—where the electrolyte is melted and poured into the electrode—it reduces interface resistance and maintains physical and chemical stability even at temperatures above 60°C. It can be applied to automotive batteries operating in high-temperature environments, lithium and sodium solid-state batteries, and industrial high-temperature power supplies, effectively resolving the chronic issue of poor interface contact in solid-state batteries by allowing the electrolyte to penetrate deep into electrode pores.
This technology analyzes electrodes before and after electrochemical reactions using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and quantifies the degree of pulverization and cracking of active material particles by measuring changes in the Full Width at Half Maximum (FWHM) of the diffraction peaks.
Conventional cross-sectional image analysis methods are hindered by complex and time-consuming sample preparation, such as resin impregnation and ion milling. Consequently, it has been difficult to quickly and quantitatively assess the level of cracking and pulverization in active materials.
This technology eliminates the need for separate pretreatment by measuring the XRD pattern of the electrode surface or a cut cross-section. The degree of cracking is calculated by substituting the FWHM value before the reaction (A) and after the reaction (B) into the formula: Cracking Rate (%) = (1 - A/B) × 100. It can be applied to quality control lines for cathode manufacturers, optimization of high-pressure rolling electrode processes, and degradation diagnostics for long-life cell development, allowing for the rapid comparative evaluation of multiple samples and replacing cross-sectional observation methods that take hours.
This technology involves placing capsules containing solid, liquid, or gaseous defect-inducing agents inside the electrode assembly or within the battery casing. These capsules are designed to open in response to external physical stimuli—such as pressure, temperature, magnetic fields, electromagnetic waves, or X-rays—allowing for the artificial and precise induction and analysis of internal battery defects.
Existing battery defect-inducing devices are limited to observing thermal runaway or require physical damage and deformation of the battery. Consequently, it has been difficult to directly and precisely analyze internal phenomena following the occurrence of a defect.
This technology utilizes capsules that open upon physical stimulation, placed in perforations within the electrode assembly or in spare space inside the battery casing. By releasing various defect-inducing agents—such as degradation particles, high-concentration additives, flame retardants, or gases—at desired times and locations, it enables quantitative analysis of electrochemical behavior and structural changes without deforming the battery. It can be applied to safety certification testing by cell manufacturers, verification of electrolyte additives and fire-extinguishing agents, and battery failure analysis. This allows for the design of reproducible defect scenarios, enabling the identification and mitigation of vulnerabilities from the initial cell design stage.
This technology coats the surface of a polyimide (PI) separator with melamine-phenylphosphonic acid (MP) to close the inherent macropores of the PI separator, thereby improving both electrochemical performance and mechanical properties.
While conventional polyimide (PI) separators offer excellent thermal stability, their macroporous structure has historically caused internal short circuits and current leakage during cell assembly and charging, limiting their practical application in batteries.
This technology involves dispersing melamine-phenylphosphonic acid into a slurry containing a PVdF-HFP binder and applying it to the PI separator surface via doctor blade coating to effectively block pores. The coating layer improves electrolyte wettability and absorption, enhances mechanical strength to prevent internal shorts, and ensures stable cycle performance. It is suitable for mid-to-large lithium-ion batteries using NCM811 cathodes and industrial batteries requiring high-temperature operation, lowering the barrier to commercialization for heat-resistant PI separators.
This technology forms an island-type artificial Cathode Electrolyte Interphase (CEI) layer on the surface of Ni-rich cathode active materials by mixing H3BO3 (B precursor) and TiO2 (Ti precursor) followed by heat treatment. This layer contains Li3BO3, which ensures conductivity by reacting with residual lithium, and TiO2, which enhances mechanical strength.
Residual lithium (LiOH) on the surface of Ni-rich cathode active materials causes side reactions with the electrolyte, leading to gas generation and increased interfacial resistance. Additionally, micro-cracks within the particles significantly degrade electrochemical performance and cell lifespan.
This technology functionalizes the interface by mixing 0.5–1 wt% of H3BO3 and TiO2 (in a 3:7 weight ratio) relative to the cathode active material, followed by heat treatment at 300–500℃ for 2–4 hours. H3BO3 consumes residual lithium to reduce internal cell gas pressure, while TiO2 reinforces particle hardness to suppress structural micro-cracks during charge/discharge. It can be applied to mass production lines for pouch-type EV cells and small polymer batteries sensitive to gas swelling, reducing adoption costs by simply adding a low-temperature post-treatment step to existing calcination equipment.
This technology involves mixing shredded waste lithium-ion batteries with sodium sulfate (Na2SO4) and a carbon reducing agent, then roasting them in a reducing atmosphere. This process reduces transition metal oxides to their metallic state and converts lithium into water-soluble sulfate, allowing for the separation of lithium from nickel, cobalt, and manganese residues through water leaching.
Conventional hydrometallurgical processes are complex and time-consuming, requiring large amounts of sulfuric acid and continuous input of reducing agents. Furthermore, they are limited by low recovery rates of valuable metals.
This technology mixes shredded waste lithium-ion batteries with sulfate at a mass ratio of 1:11.7, along with a carbon reducing agent, and roasts the mixture at 700°C. This converts lithium into a water-soluble form and reduces nickel, cobalt, and manganese into magnetic metal residues, enabling magnetic separation. Applicable to EV battery recycling plants, black mass refining processes, and lithium salt recovery facilities, it significantly reduces sulfuric acid consumption and allows for the separation of lithium and transition metals in a single water leaching step.
This invention was developed with support from the Ministry of Education's Capstone Design program.
This technology is a 3D heat pipe structure that connects the thermal conduction pipes of oscillating heat pipes placed between multiple battery cells to a first connection pipe at the top and a second connection pipe at the bottom, facilitating smooth circulation of the working fluid and increasing heat transfer efficiency.
Conventional oscillating heat pipes have faced issues with dry-out, where the working fluid evaporates completely under high heat, causing a loss of function. Additionally, temperature deviations between multiple battery cells have limited the overall performance of battery packs.
This technology forms a closed loop by connecting multiple thermal conduction pipes placed between battery cells with upper and lower connection pipes, ensuring that the working fluid in specific pipes does not deplete and instead circulates between them to maintain uniform temperature across cells. Applicable to electric vehicle battery packs, high-output ESS racks, and large modules for electric propulsion ships, it prevents heat pipe failure and ensures even cell temperatures even under conditions of concentrated heat, such as during rapid charging.
This invention was developed with support from the Ministry of Education's project for developing optimization technology for next-generation high-energy-density battery thermal management systems for electric vehicles based on deep learning.
This technology synthesizes a lithium-based anode active material with improved electrochemical properties by weighing lithium, vanadium, and titanium sources in a specific molar ratio, pre-heat treating the vanadium source to achieve a single phase, and then mixing, pelletizing, and sintering the materials in a nitrogen and hydrogen reducing atmosphere.
Existing anode materials face limitations: silicon suffers from significant volume expansion during charge/discharge cycles, while lithium metal is prone to dendrite growth. These issues have hindered the development of new anode compositions and crystal structures capable of achieving both high capacity and high power output at low discharge potentials.
This technology involves a two-stage heat treatment of the vanadium raw material at 500–700°C and 1100–1300°C to achieve a single phase, followed by mixing with lithium and titanium sources and a two-stage sintering process in a 92% N2 and 8% H2 mixed gas atmosphere to produce Li1.075V0.925-xTixO2 (0
This technology is an anode active material that induces Li intercalation reactions while maintaining a single phase without secondary phases such as WO3 or MgO. It achieves this by doping a monoclinic magnesium tungsten oxide (MgWO4) base material (space group P 2/c) with Ni or Co and precisely controlling the atomic ratio of Mg to W (Mg/W).
Conventional AWO4-based anode active materials store lithium through conversion reactions during charge and discharge, which leads to issues such as pulverization of the active material, electrical shorts, unstable SEI formation, and volume expansion. Furthermore, simple doping often caused structural instability, resulting in the formation of secondary phases.
This technology ensures structural stability by substituting Ni or Co doping metals (0 < y ≤ 0.1) into an MgWO4 base material with an adjusted Mg/W atomic ratio of 1+x : 1-x (0 < x ≤ 0.025). As a result, a Li intercalation mechanism in a layered structure operates instead of a conversion reaction, achieving high capacity and long cycle life. It can be applied to lithium secondary batteries for power grid-connected ESS that require long life, and for electric vehicle anodes where particle pulverization must be avoided during fast charging. It provides design flexibility, allowing for increased doping levels without disrupting the pure crystalline phase.
This technology involves inserting a porous metal foil with an insulating coating layer between the anode and cathode and electrically connecting it to the electrode lead. This disperses current during an internal short circuit, suppressing heat generation while providing a stable ion pathway.
Conventional secondary batteries are prone to rapid exothermic reactions and fire risks during internal short circuits. While inserting a conductive sheet can mitigate this, it often blocks electrolyte movement, leading to reduced energy density or increased manufacturing complexity.
This technology places a porous metal foil, coated on at least one side with a metal oxide or insulating polymer, between the anode and cathode and connects it to the lead. This configuration disperses short-circuit current over a wide area while maintaining ion transport pathways for the electrolyte through the pores. Applicable to electric vehicle battery packs, energy storage systems, and next-generation cells using lithium metal anodes, it prevents thermal runaway during accidents such as nail penetration or crushing while minimizing energy density loss.
