Technology Transfer from Hanyang University of South Korea to LG Chemical
According to the Website of Hanyang University in South Korea, this university has transferred more than 40 patents related to high-nickel NCM cathodes to LG Chemical to develop lithium-ion batteries. A brief review of the patents gained by this university on the issue of high nickel NCM cathodes is discussed in this article.
As illustrated in Figure 1, the patent registration process at this university began in 2004 and has been relatively stable over time. There will be a significant increase in registration only in 2020. The university has registered 77 patent families altogether, including more than 390 patents in this field, of which more than one-third (36%) of these patents have been registered in South Korea.
The share of other leading countries, including the United States, China, and the European Patent Office, is between 15% and 18%, and a limited number of patents have been registered in Canada and Japan. Of course, Poland and Hungary, where LG's factories are located, are also included on this list.
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Figure 1. Timeline evolution and jurisdiction distribution of Hanyang university patents |
Further study of the university's patents reveals that, in addition to the above, 14 patent families in the field of lithium-ion batteries have been jointly registered by the IUCF Institute of this university and LG. The distribution of which can be seen in terms of technology in Figure 2. Four patents cover silicon-carbon anodes, while three others are related to solid-state electrolytes and metal lithium anodes. Since 2019, 11 patents have been registered, indicating that registered technology has been updated. The geographical distribution of the patents related to the patents obtained is shown in the Figure 2.
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Figure 2. The common patent family of the IUCF Institute of Hanyang University and LG in the field of lithium-ion batteries |
The technology described in one of Hanyang University's patents relates to preparing cathode particles with a high nickel content (more than 80% nickel) so that the nickel concentration in the center of the particles is highest and gradually decreases in thickness.
Finally, LG batteries with high-nickel NCM cathodes and silicon-carbon or lithium metal anodes will constitute the next generation of LG batteries.
