Mass Production of Semi-Solid Batteries Using Electron Beam

Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute

Domestic researchers have developed a safe and economical production process for semi-solid batteries using radiation technology.

Schematic diagram of gel (semi-solid) electrolyte battery manufacturing using an electron beam. Image source: Provided by Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute

The Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute announced on the 4th that Dr. Choi Eun-young's team, in collaboration with Professor Park Su-jin's team at Pohang University of Science and Technology, developed a new ‘one-pot’ technology that uses an electron beam to mass-produce semi-solid batteries at once.

Lithium-ion batteries, commonly used in electric vehicles and mobile phones, have become essential energy storage devices. However, the liquid electrolyte in lithium-ion batteries is flammable, posing risks of fire and explosion. For this reason, there is fierce global competition to develop batteries that do not contain liquids. Next-generation secondary batteries, called all-solid-state batteries and also known as ‘dream batteries,’ use solid electrolytes, which enhance safety but suffer from low ionic conductivity, resulting in reduced efficiency. Additionally, their high cost is expected to delay commercialization.

Semi-solid batteries refer to batteries in which the material (electrolyte) that transfers lithium ions between the cathode and anode inside the battery is in a gel form (semi-solid) that has no fluidity and can maintain its shape independently. Semi-solid batteries, which lie between liquid and solid states, are relatively safe; however, producing semi-solid or gel-type electrolytes requires chemical substances or heat treatment, which can degrade battery performance.

In response, technology using electron beams to produce semi-solid batteries while maintaining battery performance is gaining attention. Electron beams, a type of radiation, can alter the structure and properties of materials; when applied to liquids, they transform the liquid into a semi-solid form. However, there have been many evaluations that electron beam use faces limitations in scaling up production volume and lacks economic feasibility due to the high cost of electron beam equipment.

The research team focused on developing a process for mass production to improve the economic feasibility of electron beam technology. First, they analyzed the effects on each internal battery material when exposed to the electron beam to determine the optimal irradiation dose. They developed a ‘one-pot’ process capable of mass production at once by stacking pouch-type batteries with commercially available liquid electrolytes and irradiating them with the optimized dose of electron beam. Experiments confirmed that this process can produce up to seven semi-solid batteries at once with performance similar to that of conventional liquid electrolyte batteries.

The electron beam irradiation time is short, within a few minutes, enabling rapid mass production using a conveyor belt system. The research team plans to expand the application of this technology to high-capacity battery production and optimize the process for commercialization.

The results of this study were published last month in the international journal in the field of chemical engineering, Chemical Engineering Journal (IF: 16.744).

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