![[Press Release] 3DC Initiates Joint Research with Professor Machida of Konan University, One of Japan’s Leading Researchers in Solid-State Batteries](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/66a5031ff2a7150c88fc13e4/66c421cec8a8596bbf46acae_3dc_top-1-1024x536.png)
– Aiming for the Practical Application of Next-Generation Batteries Safer Than Lithium-Ion Batteries –
3DC Inc. (Headquarters: Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture; CEO: Takuma Kuroda, CSO: Hirotomo Nishihara), a company dedicated to the development, manufacture, and supply of innovative carbon materials ‘Graphene MesoSponge® (GMS)’ to accelerate battery evolution, has announced a joint research collaboration with Professor Shinya Machida of Konan University. Professor Machida is one of Japan’s leading researchers in solid-state batteries and has extensive collaborative research experience with global solid-state battery companies.
Through this joint research, we aim to advance the practical application of solid-state batteries, known as the “post-lithium-ion battery” due to their increased safety, thereby contributing to the evolution of batteries and the realization of a decarbonized society.
Background of the Joint Research
- About Solid-State Batteries
Amid the global shift towards a sustainable society, the decarbonization sector has garnered significant attention. One of the pivotal strategies for achieving decarbonization is the electrification of society, with lithium-ion batteries playing a crucial role. Due to their compact size and long lifespan compared to other secondary batteries, lithium-ion batteries are considered essential for the proliferation of electric vehicles (EVs) and the expansion of renewable energy solutions.
However, lithium-ion batteries have their challenges, particularly concerning safety. The electrolyte in lithium-ion batteries is composed of organic solvents, which are flammable and potentially result in a battery or device fire. The severity is particularly heightened in large lithium-ion batteries used in EVs due to the larger quantities of organic solvents involved.
To address these safety concerns, recent research has been focusing on replacing the liquid electrolyte in lithium-ion batteries with a solid electrolyte, resulting in what is known as a solid-state battery. Solid-state batteries utilize non-flammable solid electrolytes, which are purported to significantly enhance battery safety.
Japan is one of the countries leading the research and development of solid-state batteries. As of May 2024, the following national R&D projects are underway to advance this technology:
Green Technologies for Excellence (GteX)
Storage battery Area, Development of sulfide-based all-solid-state batteries with high energy density and high safety
(Japan Science and Technology Agency)
Development of Evaluation and Fundamental Technologies for Next-Generation All-Solid-State Storage Battery Materials
(New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization)
- Challenges of All-Solid-State Batteries
However, all-solid-state batteries face significant challenges, particularly concerning the “contact” issue between the solid electrolyte and the active material.
The active material is an inorganic solid compound within the electrode that stores and releases lithium. Both lithium-ion and all-solid-state batteries operate by transferring lithium ions between the electrolyte and the active material during charge and discharge.
Since the electrolyte in lithium-ion batteries is liquid, it can make a tight molecular-level contact with the active material, ensuring smooth lithium-ion transfer needed for charging and discharging. In contrast, the solid electrolyte in all-solid-state batteries makes it difficult for close contact with the active material, complicating lithium-ion transfer. Furthermore, each time the active material expands and contracts during charging and discharging, the contact surface between the solid electrolyte and the active material loosens, reducing the contact area and significantly increasing the resistance of the battery reactions, thereby degrading battery performance.
- Solving All-Solid-State Battery Challenges with GMS
The next-generation carbon material “Graphene MesoSponge® (GMS)” developed by 3DC is expected to address these challenges.
Like conventional lithium-ion batteries, all-solid-state batteries require the dispersion of a material known as a “conductive additive” within the electrode to enhance conductivity. 3DC has developed and marketed “Conductive Additive GMS,” an adaptation of GMS for use as a conductive additive.
Due to its flexibility, 3DC’s Conductive Additive GMS can expand and contract along with the active material. This means that adding Conductive Additive GMS to the electrode can absorb the expansion and contraction of the active material, preventing the loosening of the contact surface between the solid electrolyte and the active material, thus potentially maintaining the performance of all-solid-state batteries.
To contribute to the practical application of all-solid-state batteries using Conductive Additive GMS, 3DC has initiated joint research with Professor Shinya Machida of Konan University, a leading authority on all-solid-state batteries.
Joint Research Partner: Professor Shinya Machida of Konan University
Professor, Department of Chemistry of Functional Molecules, Konan University
After leaving the doctoral program at Osaka Prefecture University Graduate School of Engineering, he served as an assistant at Osaka Prefecture University Faculty of Engineering. In 1991, he was appointed as a lecturer at the Faculty of Science, Konan University, and became an associate professor in 1998. In 2001, he joined the Faculty of Science and Engineering at Konan University as an associate professor, and has been in his current position since 2005.
Professor Machida has a keen interest in ion migration phenomena within solids. He has been engaged in the development of novel solid electrolytes and research on all-solid-state lithium-ion batteries. With a broad research background in sulfur-based electrolytes, he has extensive experience in collaborative research with leading global companies in the field of all-solid-state batteries. As of May 2024, he is also actively involved as a core member in the project “Development of sulfide-based all-solid-state batteries with high energy density and high safety“, which is part of Japan’s national “Green Technologies for Excellence (GteX) Program” aimed at realizing GX.
For more information about his research, visit the laboratory’s website: http://www.chem.konan-u.ac.jp/SSIC/menber.html
Joint Research Details
Our joint research aims to realize the practical application of all-solid-state batteries by focusing on the following two perspectives:
- Mitigating the Effects of Alloy-Based Negative Electrode Expansion and Contraction
In solid-state batteries, the electrolyte is solid, which, as mentioned above, makes the contact surface between the solid electrolyte and the electrode more susceptible to loosening due to expansion and contraction of the active material.
Recent research has focused on increasing the capacity of batteries (the amount of electricity that can be stored per charge) by using “alloy-based materials” as active materials, which can store more lithium ions internally. However, these alloy-based materials exhibit significant volumetric changes due to expansion and contraction, making the contact surface between the solid electrolyte and the electrode even more susceptible to losing contact when used as active materials in all-solid-state batteries.
This time, by dispersing 3DC’s Conductive Additive GMS within the electrodes of all-solid-state batteries, we aim to absorb the expansion and contraction of the alloy-based active material through its flexibility, thereby mitigating the contact loss between the solid electrolyte and the active material. This will contribute to suppressing the degradation of all-solid-state batteries.
- Clarifying Degradation Factors of Conductive Additives due to Oxidation in the Negative Electrode
It is known that conductive additives placed within the positive electrode of all-solid-state batteries are prone to degradation due to oxidation. By adding the oxidation-resistant Conductive Additive GMS to the positive electrode and observing the charging and discharging behavior, we aim to elucidate the degradation factors of conductive additives in the positive electrode.
Objectives of the Joint Research
By combining Professor Machida’s expertise in all-solid-state batteries with 3DC’s Conductive Additive GMS, we aim to promote the practical application of all-solid-state batteries, which are safer than lithium-ion batteries. This will support the proliferation of devices that require large batteries, such as EVs, and contribute to the preservation of the global environment.
Comments from Takuma Kuroda (CEO, 3DC Inc.)
We are confident that the unique flexibility of GMS will be a breakthrough in addressing the interface challenges of all-solid-state batteries. However, proving this performance in batteries requires the wisdom of experts. We are thrilled to begin joint research with Professor Machida, who is highly trusted by the industry in the field of all-solid-state batteries. We will work tirelessly to accelerate the full-scale industrialization of solid-state batteries!
What is GMS ?
GMS is a unique ‘three-dimensional graphene’ material, possessing a sponge-like structure with a thickness of just one carbon atom. Its most remarkable feature is its physical compliance, allowing it to elastically deform like rubber and easily adapt to the intense structural changes (swelling) associated with battery charging and discharging. 3DC is the sole developer of such a ‘elastically deformable carbon material’ globally. In addition to its flexibility, GMS also possesses porosity, conductivity and corrosion resistance due to its material and structure. These multiple superior properties make GMS an innovative material that is globally recognized for potentially solving the trade-off problem in lithium-ion batteries, where improving capacity often leads to detrimental effects of other properties.
What is ‘Conductive Additive GMS’ ?
This product is a special version of GMS tailored for use as a conductive additive in lithium-ion batteries. 3DC’s ‘Conductive Additive GMS’ features a unique structure that efficiently forms high conductivity paths, enabling performance enhancement of high-voltage, high-rate cathodes and silicon-based anodes expected to achieve high energy density. This is achieved even with a lower addition rate than traditional conductive additives such as carbon black or carbon nanotubes.
About 3DC Inc.
3DC is a venture company spun out of Tohoku University dedicated to the development of a new carbon material called Graphene MesoSponge (GMS). This innovative material is intended for use in the electrodes of essential energy storage and generation devices, such as lithium-ion batteries, next-generation batteries, capacitors, and fuel cells, which are critical for a decarbonized society.
3DC is actively collaborating with domestic and international battery manufacturers, battery material producers, capacitor manufacturers, and automotive OEMs to demonstrate the capabilities of GMS in preparation for full-scale market entry after 2026. The data collected to date, particularly for lithium-ion batteries, has demonstrated advantages over existing products, resulting in significant interest from battery manufacturers.
In January 2024, 3DC successfully raised 250 million yen in the first close of its pre-Series A funding round. Subsequently, in February 2024, we began shipping ‘Conductive Additive GMS‘, which enhances the performance of lithium-ion batteries, and are now vigorously preparing to establish a full-scale manufacturing system.
Our long-term goal is to realize a society that is kind to both the environment and people, in which GMS plays a vital role in every aspect of electrical energy storage and use.
Join Our Team!
3DC is on the lookout for individuals eager to join us in our mission towards achieving a decarbonized society. We are especially interested in candidates who can contribute in the areas of “Battery Application Research,” “Materials Analysis,” “Technical Sales,” and “Business Development.”
If you’re interested, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us through the following channels:
Recruitment Form: https://www.3dc.co.jp/recruit/
Email: info@3dc.co.jp
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/3dc-inc
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/3dcinc
<Company Info>
Name: 3DC Inc.
Head office：Material Solutions Center 203 Laboratory, Tohoku University, 2-1-1, Katahira, Aoba Ward, Sendai City, MIyagi Prefecture
Founders：Takuma Kuroda (CEO), Hirotomo Nishihara (CSO)
Established：February, 2022
URL：https://www.3dc.co.jp/en
Main Business：Development and manufacturing of carbon materials
<Contact Info>
Web: https://www.3dc.co.jp/en/contact/
E-mail：info@3dc.co.jp
If you are interested in more information about GMS, joint research with 3DC, or an R&D job at 3DC, please feel free to contact us!!
