Light-Sintering Ink Composition for Oxide Solid Electrolyte Sheets

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing lithium secondary batteries face issues such as ignition risks due to electrolyte leakage and limited energy density, and the manufacturing processes for oxide-based solid electrolytes are lengthy and can cause material loss or substrate deformation.

Innovation Solution

An ink composition for light-sintering using a binder with specific chemical groups and solvents, allowing rapid sintering of an oxide-based solid electrolyte sheet at room temperature, enabling large-area production without additional processing.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If thermal sintering process is used to manufacture solid electrolytes, then sintering can be achieved, but process time becomes significantly long and substrate selection is restricted due to high temperature

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesintering qualityVSAvoidprocess time
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces the conventional thermal sintering process with a photonic sintering process using a laser beam. Instead of using thermal energy from a furnace to sinter the solid electrolyte precursor, a laser beam is applied to locally and rapidly heat the precursor material, enabling sintering in a significantly reduced time while avoiding the restrictions of conventional high-temperature furnace processing

Inventive Principle:
Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent employs periodic pulsed laser irradiation to sinter the solid electrolyte precursor. The laser is applied in controlled pulses rather than continuous irradiation, allowing for precise thermal management and enabling complete sintering within a short time frame while preventing excessive heating of the substrate

Inventive Principle:
Principle #19Periodic action

2Loss of time

If rapid thermal annealing (RTA) process is used to shorten sintering time, then process time is reduced, but residual thermal stress causes material destruction

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesintering timeVSAvoidmaterial integrity
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of timeVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies local heating through laser beam irradiation focused on the solid electrolyte precursor region. Only the precursor material receives intense localized heating for sintering, while the surrounding substrate and other components remain at lower temperatures, avoiding the uniform high-temperature heating of RTA that causes thermal stress and material destruction

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

3Productivity

If liquid electrolytes are used in lithium secondary batteries, then battery performance is achieved, but ignition risk occurs due to electrolyte leakage

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvebattery performanceVSAvoidignition risk
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent changes the physical state parameter of the electrolyte from liquid to solid by synthesizing a solid electrolyte from a precursor material through photonic sintering. This fundamental parameter change eliminates the leakage and ignition risks associated with liquid electrolytes while maintaining the necessary ionic conductivity for battery operation

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

Solution Approach 2:

The patent creates a composite solid electrolyte material by sintering a precursor composition that includes lithium-containing oxide particles, metal organic framework particles, and binder particles. This composite structure provides both the ionic conductivity needed for battery performance and the structural stability required to eliminate leakage and ignition risks

Inventive Principle:
Principle #40Composite materials

4Object-affected harmful factors

If separator is included in lithium secondary batteries to prevent electrolyte leakage, then safety is improved, but energy density is limited

Engineering Contradiction:
ImprovesafetyVSAvoidenergy density
Core Design Contradiction:
Object-affected harmful factorsVSQuantity of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts and eliminates the separator component from the battery structure by providing a solid electrolyte that inherently prevents electrolyte leakage. The solid electrolyte membrane serves both as the electrolyte medium and as the protective barrier, making the separate safety component unnecessary and enabling higher energy density

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

The solution provides a safe, high-energy-density all-solid lithium secondary battery with rapid manufacturing and improved substrate compatibility.

Implementation Method 1

a binder including a polymer having a hydroxyl group, an acetyl group, and an acetal group, wherein a Hansen Solubility Parameter (HSP) value of the polymer is 18 MPa 0.5

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectSolubility: Solvation

Implementation Method 2

An ink composition for light-sintering using a binder with specific chemical groups and solvents, allowing rapid sintering of an oxide-based solid electrolyte sheet at room temperature

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectLight-sintering: Sintering

Data Source

PatentEP4617330A1Ink composition for light-sintering, oxide-based solid electrolyte sheet and all-solid lithium secondary battery
Publication Date: 2025.09.17 SK ON CO LTD
  • EP4617330A1 patent drawingFigure 1a~1c
  • EP4617330A1 patent drawingFigure 1d~3
  • EP4617330A1 patent drawingFigure 4

AI summary

The ink composition for light-sintering according to one embodiment may be prepared by including a binder that has excellent solubility and thus does not cause agglomeration during slurry preparation. By containing the ink composition for light-sintering, the oxide-based thin film sheet according to one embodiment may be formed, through light-sintering, in such a way that the particles thereof exhibit an appropriate shape, density, connection pattern, and the like, and thus an oxide-based solid electrolyte sheet having excellent durability and ionic conductivity can be prepared without being delaminated from a substrate or such issues. The oxide-based solid electrolyte sheet according to one embodiment is sintered rapidly through light-sintering and is thus prepared in a short period of time without loss of materials, such as lithium, or destruction of a substrate, and can be made thinner and larger without additional processing steps.