A battery materials study co-authored by Song Sung-keun, chairman and largest shareholder of physical artificial intelligence platform company iiL (307180.KQ), has been published in an international academic journal.
iiL said on the 19th that the research paper on ultra-high-nickel battery cathode materials, in which Song took part, was published in Batteries, an international journal indexed in the Science Citation Index Expanded (SCIE). The journal recorded an impact factor of 6.3 as of 2025 and holds a Q1 ranking, placing it in the top 25% of electrochemistry publications.
The study examined an ultra-high-nickel cathode material containing 94% nickel and 6% cobalt. At its core, the research identified how the molecular weight of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), a polymer used in the synthesis process, and the calcination temperature affect battery performance.
Comparing four synthesis conditions, the researchers found that a sample made with high-molecular-weight PVA and calcined at 650 degrees Celsius delivered an initial discharge capacity of 205.20 milliampere-hours per gram (mAh/g), an initial Coulombic efficiency of 98.84%, a discharge capacity of 190.73 mAh/g after 200 charge-discharge cycles and a capacity retention rate of 92.95%.
The results were obtained through coin-type half-cell testing using a lithium metal counter electrode and a liquid electrolyte in an accelerated evaluation environment at 60 degrees Celsius. A comparison sample that used the same high-molecular-weight PVA but was calcined at a higher temperature of 750 degrees Celsius showed a capacity retention rate of only 82.62%.
Song is currently enrolled in a doctoral program in next-generation smart energy convergence at Gachon University and participated in the paper as a co-first author. Song was directly involved in designing the research methodology, conducting experiments, carrying out quantitative analysis and drafting the paper.
According to iiL, the study represents basic research aimed at optimizing the structure and charge-discharge performance of ultra-high-nickel cathode materials and could serve as a reference for materials development across various energy applications. The company has previously disclosed progress on 3D printing-based battery manufacturing technology and on hybrid thin-film and thick-film manufacturing technology for small all-solid-state batteries. The latest high-nickel cathode research aligns with the company's mid- to long-term strategy in that it is a preliminary stage in developing energy technology for robots and future mobility.
"As the humanoid robot, electric vehicle and energy storage system industries grow, battery materials technology that raises both energy density and stability will become even more important," Song said. "This research is meaningful in that it experimentally identified the relationship between the synthesis conditions of ultra-high-nickel cathode materials and their electrochemical performance."