Next-Gen Batteries
Domestic researchers have developed the core technology for higher-capacity lithium-air batteries, which are expected to be the next generation of super high capacity batteries.
On August 5, a joint research team of KAIST New Materials Engineering Professor Kim Il-doo and Chun Seok-woo, along with Gyeonggi University New Materials Engineering Professor Park Yong-jun, announced that they developed a nanofiber and nanographene compound catalyst, and successfully applied the new technology to make lithium-air batteries with 5 times the capacity of lithium-ion batteries.
The team produced the nanocatalyst by mixing nanographene with a cobalt oxide thin film nanofiber, a process that is easy to convert to mass production.
The team applied this catalyst to each end of the lithium-air secondary battery, allowing it to charge and discharge over 80 times in capacities of over 1000mAh/g, which is 5 times higher than previous lithium-air batteries.
Professor Kim Il-doo said, “The charging/discharging trait we developed is actually the highest in quality of all the reported qualities, and it is affordable to make since it uses metallic oxide and nanographene,” and added, “Once successfully commercialized, it can be used on electric automobiles to go over 800km with one charge, which is a round trip from Seoul to Busan.” [Ed: A trip from Seoul to Busan is the entire length of South Korea.]