To Develop Next-Generation Batteries
LG Energy Solution are establishing joint research centers with Korean and foreign universities to accelerate the development of next-generation battery technologies.
The company announced on June 7 that it has recently established the MEET Frontier Research Lab (FRL) in cooperation with the Münster Electrochemical Energy Technology (MEET), a battery research center at the University of Münster, Germany, and the Münster branch of the Helmholtz Research Lab, a German national research institute.
An FRL is a lab where LG Energy Solution conducts research and development related to next-generation batteries in cooperation with Korean and foreign universities and institutions. The MEET FRL will focus on next-generation cathode material technology to maximize battery capacity while lowering battery prices; silicon anode material technology to improve charging speed and capacity; and an eco-friendly production process to convert slurry solvent used for manufacturing electrolytes and electrodes into eco-friendly materials.
The MEET of the University of Münster is led by Professor Martin Winter, who has been researching batteries for over 30 years. It is famous for its world-class R&D capabilities for next-generation batteries, LG Energy Solutions said.
With the launch of MEET FRL, the number of LG Energy Solution's global joint research centers has increased to three. Last year, the company established FRLs with the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) in the United States and KAIST in Korea. These labs are studying all-solid-state batteries, dry electrode processes, and technologies related to lithium metal and lithium sulfur batteries.
A UCSD research team led by Professor Shirley Meng developed, in partnership with LG Energy Solutions last year, a long-life solid-state battery that can run at room temperature. All-solid-state batteries have a technical limit that can be charged only at high temperatures above 60 degrees Celsius, but the UCSD research team has developed a technology for fast charging at room temperature. Scientific journal Science printed the results of this study.