The global electric vehicle (EV) market is expanding rapidly, with approximately 40 million EVs on the road worldwide by early 2024, according to data from the International Council on Clean Transportation. Despite their environmental benefits and increasing adoption, these vehicles face a significant challenge related to battery safety. Battery-related fires, although relatively rare with just over 500 verified incidents in light-duty electric vehicles between 2010 and mid-2023, remain a pressing concern. The risk, roughly one in 100,000 vehicles, is considerably lower compared to internal combustion engine vehicles. Still, once a thermal runaway event triggers a fire in lithium-based batteries, the flames can be extremely difficult to extinguish and are prone to reignition, posing a critical barrier that needs to be addressed for wider EV adoption.
In response to this challenge, a collaborative team of researchers from Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH) and Chung-Ang University has made a groundbreaking advance in lithium-metal battery (LMB) technology. Led by Professor Soojin Park, Dr. Dong-Yeob Han, and Ms. Gayoung Lee at POSTECH, alongside Professor Janghyuk Moon and Mr. Seongsoo Park from Chung-Ang University, the team engineered a novel three-dimensional porous host structure that markedly enhances battery safety and lifespan. Their innovative strategy centers on circumventing the problematic dendrite formation in lithium metal batteries, a long-standing obstacle in the path to commercialization due to catastrophic failure risks.
Lithium metal batteries hold considerable promise over current lithium-ion technologies due to their ability to store energy at much higher densities. These batteries could realistically extend the driving range of electric vehicles by a significant margin. However, uneven lithium deposition during electrochemical cycling results in the growth of needle-like metallic dendrites. These dendrites jeopardize battery reliability by piercing the separator, leading to internal short circuits and, in severe cases, battery fires or explosions. Stabilizing lithium metal anodes has been a formidable technical hurdle, requiring innovative solutions that do not compromise battery performance or increase production complexity.
The research team’s breakthrough lies in their use of a porous host with low tortuosity channels—a design that optimizes lithium-ion transport and deposition pathways within the battery. Through clever engineering that mimics a multi-level parking structure, the host framework encourages uniform lithium plating from the bottom upwards, minimizing dendrite formation. The premise is that just as efficient design facilitates orderly car parking, an inviting path with minimal resistance ensures lithium ions settle evenly across the host’s internal surfaces. This architectural control over lithium metal growth transforms the battery’s internal dynamics, mitigating one of the technology’s most dangerous failure modes.
Fabricating this sophisticated porous host involved a nonsolvent-induced phase separation (NIPS) method. The researchers leveraged a polymer matrix infused with conductive carbon nanotubes and silver nanoparticles, which together enhanced the overall electrical conductivity of the host structure. Further adding an additional silver layer atop a copper substrate acted as a lithium nucleation site at the base. This gradient of lithiophilic properties steers lithium ions to deposit evenly from the bottom up. The resulting assembly promotes a fully suppressed dendritic growth while enhancing the electrode’s mechanical stability during cycling.
Performance testing of these batteries revealed transformative improvements in energy density, achieving values as high as 398.1 Wh/kg by weight and 1,516.8 Wh/L by volume. These figures far eclipse the typical energy densities achieved in conventional lithium-ion batteries, which hover around 250 Wh/kg and 650 Wh/L, respectively. Such enhancements suggest practical EV applications could see their driving ranges extended drastically. For instance, a vehicle currently capable of about 400 kilometers per charge could potentially achieve 650 to 700 kilometers with batteries fabricated using this technology, revolutionizing the electric vehicle landscape.
Crucially, the team demonstrated that their porous host design maintains outstanding stability even under commercial-scale conditions. These trials included the use of realistic cathode materials such as nickel-cobalt-manganese (NCM811) and lithium iron phosphate (LFP), thin lithium anodes, and low electrolyte volumes, which more closely resemble practical battery configurations rather than idealized laboratory setups. The batteries consistently resisted short circuits and capacity degradation, underscoring the practicality of this approach for real-world energy applications.
Professor Soojin Park emphasized that this research represents a fundamental shift in how lithium metal battery electrodes can be designed by simultaneously controlling ion transport pathways and lithium growth dynamics within the battery structure. Importantly, the manufacturing process eschews complex or high-cost techniques, thereby streamlining the route towards commercial viability. By controlling both the physical paths lithium ions traverse and their chemical interaction directions, this work promises to overcome one of the most challenging aspects of high-energy-density battery development.
Adding to these insights, Professor Janghyuk Moon highlighted the process’s scalability and industrial relevance. The ability to seamlessly integrate microstructural regulation with chemical gradient design through a relatively simple fabrication method opens pathways for mass production, a critical factor for the future of energy storage technologies. The team’s approach exemplifies how nuanced control at multiple scales—from nanoscale materials to macroscopic battery components—can collectively enhance performance metrics and safety profiles for next-generation batteries.
Lithium-metal battery innovation is vital as the world pivots to sustainable energy and transportation. The POSTECH-Chung-Ang research offers a blueprint for overcoming the primary impediments that have stalled lithium metal batteries’ commercial adoption: safety, longevity, and manufacturability. The implications extend beyond electric vehicles into grid storage, portable electronics, and advanced robotics applications where energy density and safety are pivotal concerns.
This research initiative was supported by the Ministry of Science and ICT of the Republic of Korea, reflecting a strategic investment in building domestic and global leadership in battery technology innovation. The outcomes reported in Advanced Materials on October 13, 2025, mark a milestone in the advancement of safe, high-capacity energy storage solutions that could redefine how we power mobility and technology in the coming decades.
Subject of Research: Lithium Metal Battery Engineering and Safety Enhancement
Article Title: Regulating Polymer Demixing Dynamics to Construct a Low-Tortuosity Host for Stable High-Energy-Density Lithium Metal Batteries
News Publication Date: 13-Oct-2025
Web References: 10.1002/adma.202510919
Image Credits: POSTECH
Keywords
Applied sciences and engineering; Electrochemical cells; Energy storage; Robotic power systems; Lithium ion batteries; Batteries; Electrochemistry; Solid electrolytes; Electrolytic conductivity; Nutrients; Electrolytes
