A team of South Korean scientists has just reported a huge breakthrough in electric vehicle battery technology, unveiling an “anode-free” lithium metal battery that nearly doubles the energy density without making the battery larger. This work – a joint effort between POSTECH, KAIST and Gyeongsang National University – could be the key to finally giving electric vehicles the long range and cold-weather reliability they have been missing.
Pack more energy into the same battery space
The research team led by Professor Soojin Park and Dr. Dong-Yeob Han from POSTECH presented a battery with an energy density of 1,270 Wh/L. For comparison, most lithium-ion batteries in today’s electric vehicles have a capacity of around 650 Wh/L. Volumetric density is of great importance to automobile manufacturers because every inch and pound counts when designing a vehicle’s chassis.
The secret here is the “anode-free” design. In a standard battery there is a graphite anode that serves as storage for lithium. In this new version this house has disappeared. When you charge the battery, lithium ions move from the cathode and plate directly onto a copper collector. Removing the bulky anode frees up a lot of internal space, allowing you to pack in more power without physically increasing the size of the battery.
This concept has been the “holy grail” of battery science for years, but it is notoriously difficult to implement. Normally, lithium deposits unevenly, forming tiny, needle-like spikes called dendrites. These spikes can penetrate the inner layers of the battery and cause short circuits, fires, or a very short lifespan.
To address this issue, the team developed a two-stage stabilization plan.
First, they developed a “Reversible Host” – a polymer frame filled with silver nanoparticles that acts like a guide and ensures that the lithium plates fall smoothly. Second, they used a specially designed electrolyte that creates a protective surface layer of lithium oxide and lithium nitride. This layer essentially acts as a protective shield, preventing the growth of these dangerous dendrites while allowing the unhindered flow of ions.
The test results were impressive. Even under stressful conditions, the battery retained almost 82 percent of its capacity after 100 cycles. Crucially, the team tested this with “pouch cells,” which are much closer to the actual battery formats used in real cars. This makes it much more likely that technology will move from the bench to the factory floor.
For anyone looking to buy an electric vehicle, this could mean significantly more miles on a single charge and a lot less “range anxiety” in the winter. Although we don’t have a commercial release date yet, the researchers are confident that they have found a realistic path to a safer, high-capacity battery that can actually withstand the demands of everyday driving.
