South Korean battery makers race to develop lithium metal anodes – EcoPro, POSCO, LG Energy Solution innovate for lighter, faster-charging batteries
EcoPro, POSCO, LG Energy Solution innovate for lighter, faster-charging batteries
South Korean battery and materials companies are ramping up efforts to develop lithium metal anodes to enhance energy density. While past innovations focused on increasing nickel content in cathodes, this approach is reaching its limits, driving demand for improvements in anode materials.
Lithium metal anodes have higher energy density than traditional graphite-based anodes, making batteries lighter and charging faster.
According to industry sources on March 5, EcoPro will unveil its lithium metal anode development plans at InterBattery 2025 at COEX in Seoul, running through March 7. This marks the company’s first official announcement regarding lithium metal anodes. EcoPro said its subsidiary, EcoPro Innovation, is jointly developing lithium metal technology with Canada’s Hydro-Québec and plans to establish a pilot line for lithium sulfide production for solid-state batteries by 2026.
POSCO Future M has also entered the lithium metal anode market through POSCO Holdings’ N.EX.T Hub research institute. As the only domestic company producing both natural and synthetic graphite anodes, it aims to expand its product portfolio to include lithium metal anodes, enhancing its competitiveness.
Lithium metal anodes use lithium metal as the anode current collector instead of traditional graphite. In lithium-ion batteries, lithium ions move from the cathode to the anode during charging and return to the cathode during discharge, releasing electrons to generate electricity. The anode’s ability to store lithium is a key factor in determining a battery’s energy density.
Unlike graphite anodes, which store lithium ions in microscopic spaces, lithium metal anodes are made entirely of lithium metal. Their theoretical lithium storage capacity is more than ten times that of graphite, and batteries using lithium metal anodes are expected to achieve a 40–50% increase in energy density over conventional lithium-ion batteries. This could enable electric vehicles to travel over 900 km on a single charge.
Lithium metal anodes can charge more than twice as fast as conventional lithium-ion batteries, reaching 80% capacity in about 15 minutes. Their thinner structure reduces battery volume, and their manufacturing process remains similar to existing methods, allowing the use of current production equipment.
However, a key challenge to the commercialization of lithium metal anodes is overcoming dendrite formation. During charging, lithium crystals grow into sharp, tree-like structures on the anode surface. If they continue to grow, they can damage the separator and cause internal short circuits between the anode and cathode, posing serious safety risks.
Among South Korean companies, LG Energy Solution (LGES) is considered the leader in lithium metal anode technology. LGES plans to develop lithium metal batteries for small-scale systems by 2027, with future expansion into high-capacity products like electric vehicles.
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South Korean battery makers race to develop lithium metal anodes – EcoPro, POSCO, LG Energy Solution innovate for lighter, faster-charging batteries, source
