South Korean researchers have developed a breakthrough technology that overcomes the charging efficiency and safety challenges that have hindered next-generation lithium-metal batteries.
KAIST announced on the 24th that a joint research team led by Professor Choi Nam-soon of the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Professor Hong Seung-bum of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, and Professor Kwak Sang-kyu of Korea University has developed technology that resolves "interface instability"—the biggest obstacle facing lithium-metal batteries—at the electronic structure level.
Interface instability occurs when the boundary between the electrode and electrolyte fails to remain uniform during charging and discharging cycles. This phenomenon causes lithium to grow into needle-like structures called "dendrites," which can lead to reduced battery life, internal short circuits, and fire risks. This has been the fundamental barrier preventing commercialization of lithium-metal batteries.
To address this problem, the research team added "thiophene" to the battery electrolyte, creating an "intelligent protective layer" that enables stable lithium-ion movement on the electrode surface. This protective layer features self-rearranging electronic structures. It allows the charge distribution within the layer to change flexibly as lithium ions move, creating optimal pathways.
"We verified the effectiveness of the intelligent protective layer through density functional theory (DFT) simulation," the research team said. "We confirmed stability far superior to existing commercial additives."
As a result, the team successfully suppressed dendrite growth even in fast-charging conditions and significantly extended battery life.
Additionally, real-time observation of the battery interior using in-situ atomic force microscopy (AFM) confirmed that lithium deposits and removes uniformly from the surface even under high-current conditions, demonstrating mechanical stability.
This technology is not limited to specific battery types and can be broadly applied across existing electric vehicle battery systems, raising expectations for significant industry-wide impact. "This technology can be used with various cathode materials currently in wide use, including lithium iron phosphate, lithium cobalt oxide, and lithium nickel-cobalt-manganese oxide," the research team said.
This achievement is significant as it presents a breakthrough that fundamentally solves the ultra-fast charging problem—the biggest barrier to lithium-metal battery commercialization. The technology enables both rapid charging within 12 minutes and high-current operation exceeding 8mA/cm². It is expected to be applied across various future industries requiring high-performance batteries, including ultra-long-range electric vehicles, urban air mobility (UAM), and next-generation high-density energy storage systems.
"This research is not simply a material improvement but an achievement that solves fundamental battery problems by designing electronic structures," said Professor Choi Nam-soon. "It will become the core foundational technology for next-generation electric vehicle batteries that simultaneously achieve fast charging and long lifespan."
KAIST Professor Choi Nam-soon, Professor Hong Seung-bum, researcher Lee Jung-a, and researcher Cho Yun-han participated as co-first authors in this research, which was published on the 2nd of this month in InfoMat, a leading international journal in materials and energy.