Sogang University-POSTECH-Gyeongsang National University Joint Research Team Develops Technology Applying Electrostatics to Electric Vehicle Batteries
A joint research team led by Professor Ryu Jae-geon from Sogang University’s Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, in collaboration with POSTECH and Gyeongsang National University, has developed a next-generation lithium-ion battery technology that significantly improves the stability of pure silicon anodes, the results for which were published online on June 29 in Advanced Functional Materials.
Although pure silicon anodes, one of the next-generation technologies for secondary batteries, offer much higher theoretical capacity compared to graphite, they have faced commercialization challenges due to significant volume expansion of up to 300% during charging and discharging which causes particle cracking and pulverization.
To overcome this limitation, the research team developed a new polymer binder material from the electrostatic induction phenomenon commonly observed in daily life. Conventional polymer binders have been unable to maintain the structural integrity of pure silicon anodes during charging and discharging, resulting in a reduced cycle lifespan. In this study, the team created a polymer material with both positive (+) and negative (-) charges and formed a coacervate structure capable of spontaneous self-recovery by combining polymer materials with both charges.
As a result, the secondary batteries utilizing this electrostatics-based polymer binder secured an energy density exceeding 400 Wh/kg and maintained stable cycling performance over 500 cycles. The study offers great significance in that it went beyond simply utilizing electrostatic forces and presented multiple combinations of charged polymers by functional group while deriving key design parameters for high-capacity anode binders, offering both experimental and theoretical validation.
This paper was published online in June 2025 in Advanced Functional Materials (IF: 19.0), one of the world’s most prestigious journals in materials and chemistry.
▶Paper title: “Molecular Engineering of Coacervate Network Binders for Stable Silicon-Based Anodes in Lithium-Ion Batteries”
▶Journal: Advanced Functional Materials
▶DOI: 10.1002/adfm.202509445
Although pure silicon anodes, one of the next-generation technologies for secondary batteries, offer much higher theoretical capacity compared to graphite, they have faced commercialization challenges due to significant volume expansion of up to 300% during charging and discharging which causes particle cracking and pulverization.
To overcome this limitation, the research team developed a new polymer binder material from the electrostatic induction phenomenon commonly observed in daily life. Conventional polymer binders have been unable to maintain the structural integrity of pure silicon anodes during charging and discharging, resulting in a reduced cycle lifespan. In this study, the team created a polymer material with both positive (+) and negative (-) charges and formed a coacervate structure capable of spontaneous self-recovery by combining polymer materials with both charges.
As a result, the secondary batteries utilizing this electrostatics-based polymer binder secured an energy density exceeding 400 Wh/kg and maintained stable cycling performance over 500 cycles. The study offers great significance in that it went beyond simply utilizing electrostatic forces and presented multiple combinations of charged polymers by functional group while deriving key design parameters for high-capacity anode binders, offering both experimental and theoretical validation.
This paper was published online in June 2025 in Advanced Functional Materials (IF: 19.0), one of the world’s most prestigious journals in materials and chemistry.
▶Paper title: “Molecular Engineering of Coacervate Network Binders for Stable Silicon-Based Anodes in Lithium-Ion Batteries”
▶Journal: Advanced Functional Materials
▶DOI: 10.1002/adfm.202509445