LOTTE Chemical announced that it developed Korea’s first ‘separator coating material manufacturing technology’ based on polymer solid electrolyte to solve instability issues of lithium metal anodes used in next-generation semisolid/all-solid-state lithium metal batteries, and completed patent application of this.

This technology is characterized by improving the durability of lithium battery materials by suppressing dendrite (phenomenon where needle-shapes generate from lithium, crystallization of shapes that reduce battery activities) by coating functional materials on the lithium metal battery separator to improve the flow of lithium ions.

Through this, it is possible to secure long-term stability and durability of lithium metal anodes, and it displayed over 90% capacity conservation rate at 500 cycles, and therefore, approximately 30% or higher durability improvement effects compared to non-coated separators can be expected.

LOTTE Chemical is currently conducting tests for application of the technology with domestic and overseas lithium metal battery companies and plans to additionally build cooperative relationships with specialized research institutes. By doing so, it plans to pioneer markets where lithium metal anodes can be applied and accelerate commercialization of lithium metal batteries.

Technology Institute Director Hwang Min-jae stated, “By promptly securing core battery technologies using the future material technologies of LOTTE Chemical, we will actively pioneer the global battery material market and pioneer the relevant market.”

SOELECT CEO Cho Sung-jin commented, “Through the joint R&D with LOTTE Chemical, we developed polymer electrolytes for prolonging the life of high-capacity lithium metal anodes and the material and process technologies for applying this, and we will also speed up commercialization of highly stable lithium metal batteries through various cooperation.”