Completely Solve the "Dendrite" Problem, South Korea Develops a New Battery: Charging for 12 Minutes Ends 804 Kilometers!

According to overseas media reports on September 6, the Korea Academy of Science and Technology (KAIST) and LG New Energy (LG Energy Solution) jointly announced the development of a new lithium-metal battery electrolyte, which can charge electric vehicle for 12 minutes and drive 500 miles (about 804.7 km). The breakthrough point of this new lithium metal battery electrolyte research is that it claims to completely solve the "Dendrites" problem in the field of batteries. Unlike mainstream lithium-ion batteries, which use graphite anodes, lithium metal batteries use pure lithium metal anodes, which have significantly higher energy density, but the surface of the anode is prone to grow dendritic lithium crystals (dendrites) during charging. These dendrites not only reduce the performance of batteries, but also may pierce the diaphragm and cause short circuit, which is the biggest challenge for the development of power batteries.

Through in-depth mechanism research, the Korean research team found that dendrite growth was triggered by "uneven interfacial cohesion on the surface of lithium metal". Based on this discovery, the team innovatively developed a "new liquid electrolyte that inhibits cohesion", whose anion structure has a weak affinity for lithium ion binding, thus ensuring uniform deposition of lithium on the anode and effectively inhibiting dendrite formation even during fast charging. Experimental data show that the battery with the electrolyte performs well in more than 350 cycles and can be charged from 5% to 70% in 12 minutes. Modeling verifies that the high-density battery design (energy density of 386 Wh/kg) can be charged from 10% to 80% in 17 minutes, providing a new path for ultra-fast charging and ultra-high energy density.