The Korea Electronics Technology Institute (KETI, President Kim Young-sam) has led the improvement of the manufacturing process for commercializing all-solid-state batteries using zeolite.

The Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI) announced on the 10th that it has developed a material technology that reduces the amount of hydrogen sulfide gas generated from sulfide-based solid electrolytes, a key material for all-solid-state batteries.

All-solid-state batteries are batteries that replace the liquid electrolyte that fills the space between the positive and negative electrodes of existing lithium-ion batteries with a solid electrolyte. They are safe because there is no risk of explosion, and they have a higher energy density than existing batteries, so they are attracting attention as next-generation batteries.

The core materials that make up solid electrolytes include polymers, sulfides, and oxides, but among them, sulfide-based solid electrolytes with high ductility and ionic conductivity are considered suitable for manufacturing high-capacity, large-scale batteries.

The core of the material technology developed by KETI's Next-Generation Battery Research Center (Director Ji-Sang Yoo) is to reduce hydrogen sulfide generation by adding and synthesizing small amounts of zeolite nanoparticles to a solid electrolyte, utilizing the characteristic of zeolite that simultaneously adsorbs moisture and hydrogen sulfide gas in the atmosphere.

Sulfide-based solid electrolytes have the disadvantage of generating hydrogen sulfide, a harmful gas, due to their high reactivity to moisture, which ultimately leads to battery failure. It has been a stumbling block that hinders performance and makes handling difficult in the battery manufacturing process.

By applying this technology, the amount of hydrogen sulfide generated is reduced to 1/3 even when exposed to the air (relative humidity 50%), preventing deterioration of electrolyte materials and stably securing battery life. In addition, it is effective in ensuring battery safety because it reduces the generation of hydrogen sulfide even if the battery itself is destroyed.

“Because we utilized existing materials as additives, we were able to secure efficient technology in a shorter period of time compared to developing new materials,” said Jo Woo-seok, a senior researcher who led the technology development. “We will also accelerate the development of new solid electrolyte materials in the future, using these core next-generation battery technologies as a stepping stone.”

KETI Next-Generation Battery Research Center Director Yoo Ji-sang said, “KETI is conducting a wide range of research not only on all-solid-state battery materials and electrode element technologies, but also on battery manufacturing technologies,” and “As a key domestic research institute in the all-solid-state battery field, we will focus on research to commercialize all-solid-state batteries.”

Meanwhile, the excellence of this research result was recognized and published in the latest issue (July 22) of the Journal of Materials Chemistry A, an international academic journal in the field of materials chemistry.