https://scholar.dgist.ac.kr/handle/20.500.11750/6312 2026-10-27T07:04:30Z https://scholar.dgist.ac.kr/handle/20.500.11750/61009 Title: A thermally conductive ceramic-coated separator with in situ-formed ion-conductive, lithiophilic interphase for stable lithium metal batteries☆ Author(s): Choi, Seungyeop; Choi, Junhyeok; Kang, Dongyoon; Dzakpasu, Cyril Bubu; Kim, Ucheol; Seo, Jun Pyo; Roh, Youngjoon; Rhee, Junki; Lee, Yong Min Abstract: The design of functional separators that can simultaneously regulate interfacial stability and safety remains a critical challenge in lithium metal batteries (LMBs). In this work, we introduce an aluminum nitride-based ceramic-coated separator (AlN-CCS) to address these concerns. The AlN-CCS exhibits enhanced ionic conductivity and electrolyte wettability compared to conventional polyethylene separators, while maintaining comparable physical and ion-conductive properties to oxide-based CCSs. Importantly, the conversion reaction between AlN and Li metal induces the in situ formation of a Li3N-rich solid-electrolyte interphase and a lithiophilic LiAl alloy, effectively reducing nucleation overpotential and promoting uniform Li deposition. As a result, Li||LiNi0.6Co0.2Mn0.2O2 full cells with AlN-CCS demonstrate significantly improved cycling stability, achieving 76.6% capacity retention even after 500 cycles, compared to 59.6% for Al2O3-CCS. Furthermore, owing to the intrinsically high thermal conductivity of AlN, the AlN-CCS enables efficient lateral heat dissipation, effectively mitigating localized hotspot formation under abnormal conditions such as internal short circuits. These results demonstrate that nitride-based CCSs can be an effective and easier alternative to simultaneously enhance electrochemical performance and safety, offering a promising pathway toward high-energy-density and reliable LMBs. 2026-09-30T15:00:00Z https://scholar.dgist.ac.kr/handle/20.500.11750/60991 Title: Electrolyte Lubricants for Solid-State Batteries Author(s): Kim, Won-Yeong; Ryu, Seokhyeon; Lee, Hyobin; Kim, Minwoo; Lee, Jongjun; Oh, Kyeong-Seok; Kim, Dokyung; Kim, Taeryeol; Yang, Wonseok; Han, Sun-Phil; Lee, Tae Woong; Lim, Jaejin; Kim, Hong-, I; Kang, Minsang; Choi, Seungyeop; Kim, Seung-Hyeok; Kwak, Rhokyun; Lee, Young Joo; Lee, Won Bo; Lee, Yong Min; Lee, Sang-Young Abstract: Solid-state batteries (SSBs) promise higher energy density and improved safety, but interparticle voids and unstable solid-solid interfaces still limit their performance. Here, we translate the concept of lubrication into an electrolyte-lubrication strategy for SSBs. We design a solvation-tailored electrolyte lubricant, termed ACE (aggregate cluster electrolyte), in which spatially structured ion-pair clusters direct interphase formation. In ACE, molecular-orbital reconfiguration within Li+-anion clusters favors the growth of a thin, electronically insulating, inorganic-rich solid-liquid electrolyte interphase (SLEI) on sulfide electrolytes, mitigating their intrinsic instability. The fluid ACE infiltrates interparticle voids, forming percolating Li+-conduction networks and facilitating dynamic reconstruction of the solid-electrolyte interphase during cycling. These attributes enable stable Li-metal cycling at reduced external pressure and enhance cathode active-material utilization. Electrochemical-thermal simulations further show that ACE homogenizes ionic fluxes and thermal gradients at the cell scale. Electrolyte lubrication thus emerges as a scalable interfacial-engineering approach for making sulfide-based SSBs operate under more practical conditions. 2026-08-31T15:00:00Z https://scholar.dgist.ac.kr/handle/20.500.11750/60338 Title: Multi-Faceted Binder Enhancement via Slurry-Applicable Thiol-Ene Click Chemistry for Low-Pressure-Operable All-Solid-State Batteries Author(s): Park, Young Joon; Kim, Kyu Tae; Jun, Seunggoo; Kim, Jong Seok; Yoon, Jaehyun; Bak, Cheol; Lee, Yong Min; Kim, Dong Hyeon; Kim, Ji Young; Jung, Yoon Seok Abstract: Ensuring low-pressure operability is imperative in the practical deployment of all-solid-state batteries (ASSBs) with sulfide solid electrolytes, highlighting the pivotal roles of functional binders. Herein, slurry-applicable thiol-ene click reaction-derived modifications of styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR) binders are introduced to enhance the electrochemo-mechanical stabilities of composite cathodes under low operating pressures. Two key modifications are realized: the grafting of carboxylate functional groups to improve the adhesion and cross-linking to enhance the modulus and elasticity. A key insight gained is that cross-linking is considerably more critical in improving the low-pressure performance than adhesion enhancement. Electrochemical evaluations using single-crystalline LiNi0.8Co0.1Mn0.1O2|Li6PS5Cl|(Li-In) half-cells at 0.3 MPa indicate that LiNi0.8Co0.1Mn0.1O2 electrodes with the cross-linked binder exhibit superior electrochemical performances, including higher initial discharge capacities and improved initial Coulombic efficiencies and capacity retentions compared to those of the unmodified-SBR-based electrodes (163 vs. 133 mA h g-1, 68% vs. 73%, and 67% vs. 75% at the 100th cycle, respectively). Comprehensive analyses, including operando electrochemical pressiometry, reveal that cross-linking effectively maintains the electrode integrity, thereby stabilizing the interfacial resistance during cycling. These findings offer critical design guidelines for practical, high-performance ASSB systems. 2026-01-31T15:00:00Z https://scholar.dgist.ac.kr/handle/20.500.11750/60117 Title: Digital Twin-Driven Mechanical Degradation Diagnostics: Unraveling Microstructure Evolution of Silicon-based Lithium-Ion Battery Anodes Author(s): Lim, Jaejin; Choi, Junhyeok; Kim, Kyung-Geun; Song, Jihun; Lee, Hyobin; Lee, Yong Min Abstract: Silicon is a promising anode material due to its high theoretical capacity, but its extreme volume change (>300%) during cycling leads to contact loss, electrode delamination, and crack propagation, ultimately compromising mechanical integrity. While operando imaging captures morphological evolution, it remains insufficient to resolve the coupled electrochemical, mechanical, and microstructural dynamics that govern degradation. Here, a microstructure-resolved digital twin model of SiOx/graphite composite electrodes is presented to diagnose electrochemo-mechanical behavior. A 3D structure reconstructed from high-resolution FIB-SEM tomography is integrated into a coupled simulation framework that captures Li+ diffusion, interfacial electrochemical reactions, and concentration-dependent mechanical strain. Simulations reveal that volumetric expansion distorts internal conduction pathways-enhancing electronic conduction via broadened solid-solid interfaces while impeding ion transport through increased tortuosity. Moreover, charge-rate-dependent analysis shows that the charging rate governs the balance between the state of charge (SoC) and local stress. Increasing the rate from 0.5C to 4C reduces stress by limiting the SoC level, thereby mitigating mechanical degradation and enhancing cycling stability. This digital twin framework enables quantitative diagnostics of stress-driven failure and offers design guidelines for the development of mechanically robust, high-performance silicon-based anodes. 2025-12-31T15:00:00Z