On August 26, the research team led by Professor Sun Yang-kook in the Department of Energy Engineering at Hanyang University announced that they have developed a 올림피아토토-manganese zero-strain cathode material that can revolutionize the performance of next-generation secondary batteries. This innovative cathode material simultaneously enhances the four key aspects of battery performance: energy density, lifespan, safety, and cost competitiveness.

Traditional high-manganese cathodes, known as lithium-rich manganese-rich (LMR) cathodes, were first developed in the U.S. but faced challenges such as low charge-discharge efficiency, rapid voltage fade, gas generation, and short lifespan. To address these issues, Professor Sun’s team created a cathode with a lithium-to-transition metal ratio of 1 and manganese content exceeding 45%. Unlike earlier versions, the new material avoids excessive Li₂MnO₃ formation and is entirely developed by South Korean researchers. This “Korean-style high-manganese cathode” is expected to boost the country’s global competitiveness and secure a strategic leadership in the battery industry.

This cathode shows remarkable durability maintaining a lifespan even under 올림피아토토-voltage charge/discharge conditions above 4.6V. The formation of a quasi-ordered (QO) mixed structure between lithium and transition metals at the nanoscale attributes to the long lifespan, providing excellent structural stability. In fact, while the c-axis lattice parameter change rate of commercial 올림피아토토-nickel NCM cathodes is about 6%, this material shows a change rate close to 0%, earning recognition as a zero-strain cathode. Also, it has a 올림피아토토 thermal runaway onset temperature, which suppresses heat transfer between cells and significantly reduces fire hazard as a battery material.

This material has 40–65% higher gravimetric energy density and over 120% higher volumetric energy density compared to the low-cost Chinese lithium iron phosphate cathodes (LiFePO₄, LFP), of which the market share is rapidly increasing. Economically, the high manganese content is expected to reduce costs by 30–40% compared to high-nickel NCM cathodes. Its energy cost is lower or equal to that of LFP, making it the only material that outperforms LFP in energy density, price, and stability. The industry expects this technology to be a ‘game changer’ that overcomes the dominance of Chinese LFP cathodes and secures strategic leadership in the next-generation energy storage system (ESS) and electric vehicle (EV) markets. Furthermore, this achievement provides the Korean battery industry with the potential to surpass China in both cost and performance, and is anticipated to signal a paradigm shift in global energy storage technology.

Professor Sun said, “We will continue our research to help South Korea recover its global competitiveness and secure strategic leadership in the battery market.”

The research team is currently reviewing the technology with LG Energy Solution and Hyundai Motor Company for commercialization. This collaboration is expected to lead to the joint development of 올림피아토토-performance, low-cost batteries for electric vehicles and ESS in the future.

This 올림피아토토 was supported by the Energy Human Resources Development Program of the Korea Energy Technology Evaluation and Planning (KETEP) under the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. The related paper was published on August 26 in Nature Energy(IF: 60.1), the most prestigious journal in the field of energy. The paper titled 'Zero-Strain Mn-Rich Layered Cathode for Sustainable and 올림피아토토-Energy Next-Generation Batteries' lists Dr. Park Geon-tae as the first author and Professor Sun Yang-kook as the corresponding author.