KAIST develops anode-free EV batteries smaller, lighter, and longer-lasting
Researchers at Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) have come up with a way to make electric vehicle (EV) batteries smaller, lighter, and longer-lasting, meaning EVs could go farther on a single charge without extra bulk.
Their new design ditches the usual graphite in favor of anode-free tech, which is a big step toward better-performing batteries.
MXene and microstructures improve lithium plating
Instead of using traditional anodes, these batteries let lithium settle right onto copper sheets. This makes the battery lighter but can cause issues like dendrite buildup.
The KAIST team addressed this by creating tiny structures on the copper surface to keep things even and safe.
They also added an ultra-thin MXene coating for extra stability, making these next-generation batteries not just possible but promising.
As Professor Jinwoo Lee put it, this tech could help overcome a key obstacle to commercially viable anode-free batteries.