"Electric Vehicle Boom Expected" Next-Generation Battery Development Dream Team Emerges

UNIST, Pukyong National University, and Chosun University Joint Research Team Begins Development of Lithium Metal Battery System
Supported by Samsung Future Technology Development Program... Integrated Research from Materials to Battery Systems

UNIST, Pukyong National University, and Chosun National University joint research team initiated research on mass-produced lithium metal batteries at UNIST.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Yong-woo] A joint research "dream team" has emerged to develop next-generation lithium metal batteries that are lighter than conventional electric vehicle batteries but have more than twice the energy capacity.

A joint research team from Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST), Pukyong National University, and Chosun University has begun research to develop next-generation electric vehicle batteries.

The research team secured a new project from the Samsung Future Technology Development Program in June and has started full-scale research.

The team, composed of Professors Jung Kyung-min and Choi Nam-soon from the Department of Energy and Chemical Engineering at UNIST, Professor Oh Pil-geon from the Department of Printing and Information Engineering at Pukyong National University, and Professor Son Yoon-guk from the Department of Electrical Engineering at Chosun University, will receive 1 billion KRW in funding over the next two years to develop electrode design and material technology for lithium metal battery systems.

Lithium metal batteries use lithium metal as the anode and have a higher energy density compared to currently commercialized lithium-ion batteries, making them a promising next-generation high-capacity battery for electric vehicles.

The joint research team aims to develop mass-producible lithium metal batteries that are lighter in weight yet have greater energy capacity, realizing next-generation electric vehicle batteries.

Professor Jung Kyung-min, the research lead at UNIST, said, “The goal is to enable mass production of high-capacity batteries by utilizing the current domestic battery production base and manufacturing technologies as much as possible,” adding, “We plan to conduct research that can make a practical contribution to advancing the battery industry to the next level.”

The research team plans to conduct comprehensive research covering the entire battery development process, from developing new materials for lithium metal battery commercialization to catalysts, electrolytes, electrode technologies, and battery systems.

Professors Oh Pil-geon of Pukyong National University and Son Yoon-guk of Chosun University both earned their PhDs at UNIST. After gaining industry experience, they were appointed as faculty members at their respective universities and are conducting research on next-generation battery materials.

This joint research team essentially consists of UNIST faculty members and faculty members who graduated from UNIST working together as one team.

Professor Jung Kyung-min said, “This joint research was possible thanks to UNIST’s research environment and talent development system optimized for secondary battery research,” and added, “Despite its short history, the tradition of practical convergence research continues, so we expect next-generation battery research that will change the future to proceed more actively.”

Recently, UNIST was selected as a university to carry out the battery specialist training project, one of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy’s ‘Industrial Innovation Talent Growth Support Projects.’ Accordingly, UNIST will train specialists in ‘core battery materials’ over the next five years.

The Samsung Future Technology Development Program is a science and technology research support project funded by Samsung Electronics to promote basic science development and industrial technology innovation.

A total of 28 projects were selected in the first half of this year, including three projects from UNIST, among them Professor Jung Kyung-min’s. For Pukyong National University and Chosun University, this joint research team’s project is their first selection.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.