KGA, which is currently pursuing a merger with Samsung Special Purpose Technology No. 9, announced on the 24th that it has been selected for the 'Aerospace and Defense Energy Ceramic Material Development Support Project' by the Korea Institute of Ceramic Engineering and Technology and will begin full-scale development of core oxide materials for all-solid-state batteries.
The 'high-safety oxide all-solid ceramic material' developed by KGAE is a next-generation material essential for manufacturing 'solid electrolyte', which is a key raw material for all-solid batteries. It is garnering attention in the next-generation battery market that requires high stability, as it can fundamentally solve the ignition and leakage problems of existing liquid electrolyte-based secondary batteries.
The material has excellent properties such as ▲non-flammability ▲ionic conductivity ▲mechanical strength ▲storability, etc. In particular, it can be widely applied to cutting-edge future industries such as electric vehicles (EVs), energy storage systems (ESS), aerospace, and defense, and it is expected to demonstrate excellent performance in fields where small batteries are widely used such as humanoid robots.
The biggest advantage of all-solid-state batteries is that they can maintain stable performance even in extreme environments. Space has a harsh environment with extreme temperature changes, vacuum conditions, radiation, and microgravity, so existing liquid electrolyte batteries are at high risk of freezing at low temperatures or exploding at high temperatures. In addition, there is a possibility that electrolyte decomposition and electrode deterioration may occur when exposed to radiation.
Even in the case of all-solid-state batteries, oxide-based solid electrolytes, unlike sulfide-based electrolytes, do not react with moisture in the air, so there is no risk of generating the toxic byproduct 'hydrogen sulfide', and as a result, they can be used more safely in closed environments such as spaceships and submarines.
Along with the development of this material, KGAE plans to develop dedicated equipment for mass production. Once the equipment development is complete, KGAE’s portfolio of solid-state battery process equipment will be expanded, and the company expects that this will further enhance its market competitiveness.
KGA plans to complete prototype production and performance certification by next year, and then move on to operating a pilot production line and securing initial customers.
A KGA official explained, “Rather than directly entering the materials business, we decided to pursue this project in order to first succeed in developing materials and then develop dedicated equipment to mass produce them.” He added, “Once we have confirmed a certain level of results, we will actively pursue sales activities targeting global cell makers and automakers based on this.”
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