TDK's Breakthrough in All-Solid-State Battery Materials

TapTechNews June 17th - According to a report in the Financial Times, Japan's TDK has announced a breakthrough in materials used in small all-solid-state batteries, which is expected to significantly enhance the performance of devices ranging from wireless earphones to smartwatches. The energy density of this new material (that is, the amount of energy that can be stored in a specific space) reaches 1,000 Wh/L, which is about 100 times that of TDK's current mass-produced batteries.

According to this Apple supplier, since its launch in 2020, competitors have also been promoting the development of small all-solid-state batteries. Currently, there are products that can offer an energy density of 50 Wh/L, while the energy density of traditional liquid electrolyte rechargeable coin batteries is about 400 Wh/L.

We believe that our newly developed all-solid-state battery material can make a significant contribution to the social energy transition. We will continue to strive for early commercialization, said Noboru Saito, CEO of TDK.

The developed battery will be made of all-ceramic materials, including oxide-based solid electrolytes and lithium alloy negative electrodes. TDK said that the high electricity storage capacity of this battery will enable it to achieve smaller size and longer life, while the oxide materials provide high stability, thereby improving safety. This battery technology is designed to be used in small batteries to replace the existing coin-type batteries and be applied to watches and other small electronic devices.

This breakthrough represents an important step in the development of all-solid-state battery technology. Industry experts believe that this technology is expected to completely change the way of energy storage, but at the same time, it also faces huge challenges in large-scale mass production, especially in large-sized batteries.

According to TapTechNews, compared with traditional liquid electrolyte batteries, all-solid-state batteries have the potential advantages of being safer, lighter, potentially lower in cost in the future, longer in life expectancy and faster in charging speed.

TDK said that the ceramic material used by the company means that large-sized batteries will be more fragile. This means that in the foreseeable future, it is impossible to overcome the technical challenges of manufacturing batteries for cars or even smartphones. Kevin Shang, a senior research analyst at the data analysis company Wood Mackenzie, said that the application of solid oxide batteries in smartphones also faces challenges such as characteristics that are not conducive to machining and difficulty in achieving large-scale mass production.

Industry experts believe that the most significant application of all-solid-state batteries may be in electric vehicles, as it can make the range of electric vehicles longer. Japanese enterprises are at the forefront of promoting the commercialization of this technology. Toyota's goal is to achieve commercialization by 2027, Nissan's goal is 2028, and Honda's goal is by the end of 2030.

However, for this highly anticipated technology, especially for large-sized batteries required for electric vehicles, people still remain skeptical. Zeng Yuqun, the founder and CEO of the world's largest electric vehicle battery manufacturer CATL, said in an interview with the Financial Times in March that all-solid-state batteries have insufficient performance, poor durability and safety issues.

TDK, which was established in 1935, became a household name with cassette tapes in the 1960s and 1970s. The company has rich experience in battery materials and technologies and currently occupies 50% to 60% of the global market share in small batteries such as smartphones and is committed to taking the lead in the medium-sized battery market including energy storage devices and large electronic devices such as drones.

TDK plans to provide samples of its new battery prototypes to customers starting from next year and hopes to achieve mass production afterwards.