UNIST team develops cathode material with 98% nickel content to increase EV driving range

According to foreign media reports, Professor Jo Jae-pil of the Department of Energy and Chemical Engineering at the National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST) and his research team have developed a high-nickel cathode material with a cobalt content of 1% and a nickel content of 98%. This is the world's first material with a nickel content of more than 94%, which can increase the range of electric vehicles and reduce their prices. The material is about to be commercialized and is expected to be mass-produced in the first half of next year.

(Image source: UNIST)

Rechargeable batteries consist of positive and negative electrode materials, separators, and electrolytes that transport lithium ions. The positive electrode material needs to withstand high voltages and accounts for about 40% of the battery price. Typically, the positive electrode material is made of nickel, cobalt and manganese, or nickel, cobalt and aluminum, with nickel accounting for more than 80%. It is important to minimize the use of cobalt, as it is about twice as expensive as nickel.

Professor Jo Jae-pil said: "Given that the amount of cathode material in ordinary electric vehicle batteries is 100 kg, the newly developed material can increase the battery capacity by 1,600Ah at the same level, while also increasing the driving range. It is expected that the driving range will increase by 15% to 16% and reduce the production cost by 20%."

According to Professor Jo Jae-pil, the increased capacity can extend the life of the battery as the frequency of charge and discharge decreases. During the synthesis of the positive electrode material, lithium on the surface of the material needs to be removed by washing with water. Other essential elements are also washed away in the process, resulting in a decrease in performance. But the team successfully solved this problem.

Two months ago, Samsung SDI, LG Energy Solution and SK Innovation said that the theoretical maximum nickel content could be 94%. But the material has made a major breakthrough, achieving a nickel content of 98%.

Professor Jo Jae-pil, formerly a senior research engineer at Samsung SDI, has led the institute's rechargeable battery research center since 2014 and founded SM Lab in July 2018. The startup is the only company in the world with high-tech original technology that can produce high-nickel cathode materials on a single crystal basis. Compared with polycrystalline, single crystal cathode materials can increase the service life of batteries by up to 30%.

The new material will bring great changes to the Korean market. Currently, the high-nickel cathode material market is dominated by EcoPro BM and L&F. Both companies are currently unable to produce cathode materials with a nickel content of more than 90%. EcoPro BM is working with SK Innovation to achieve a nickel content of 94%.