Chonnam National University (CNU) announced that a research team led by Prof. Chan-Jin Park from the School of Materials Science and Engineering has developed a novel polymer-based solid electrolyte that could accelerate the commercialization of next-generation lithium-metal all-solid-state batteries.

These batteries, often dubbed the “dream battery,” offer significantly higher energy density and safety than conventional lithium-ion batteries but have long struggled with low room-temperature performance and the formation of lithium dendrites—needle-like structures that can puncture separators and cause fires or explosions.
To overcome these challenges, Prof. Park’s team developed a new 3D porous solid polymer electrolyte by combining Single-Ion Conductive Polymers (SICP) and Ether Polymer Networks (EPN). Using in-situ polymerization, the researchers fabricated a sponge-like porous SICP membrane and infused it with a liquid ether precursor that solidifies inside the battery.

This unique 3D interpenetrating network promotes uniform lithium-ion distribution across the electrode surface, effectively preventing dendrite formation. As a result, the batteries showed exceptional thermal stability and lifespan: more than 1,000 hours of stable operation at room temperature and retention of 82% capacity after 250 charge-discharge cycles with a high-capacity NCM811 cathode.

The newly developed electrolyte also achieved a lithium-ion transference number of 0.58, outperforming conventional polymer electrolytes (typically below 0.4), further confirming its effectiveness in dendrite suppression.
“This research presents a significant step forward in solving two of the biggest challenges in polymer solid electrolytes: performance at room temperature and structural stability,” said Prof. Park. “With its scalability and cost efficiency, we expect this technology to accelerate the commercialization of solid-state batteries for electric vehicles and energy storage systems (ESS).”

The study was supported by the Ministry of Science and ICT and the National Research Foundation of Korea and was published in the materials science journal Small Structures (IF 13.9).
Paper title: 3D Porous Single-Ion Conductive Polymer Electrolyte Integrated with Ether Polymer Networks for High-Performance Lithium-Metal Batteries