LG Chem unveils precursor-free cathode material for batteries

LG Chem Ltd. is set to become the first South Korean company to mass-produce precursor-free cathode materials, designed for high- and mid-nickel batteries used by electric vehicle makers.

At InterBattery2025 on Wednesday, it unveiled the cathode material without a precursor, branded as LG Precursor-Free. InterBattery2025 is South Korea’s largest secondary battery industry exhibition. 

LG Precursor-Free is considered a next-generation technology. Its mass production will begin in the first half of this year, it said in a press release.

The release of the new cathode material comes as LG Energy Solution Ltd., its affiliated battery maker, is aiming to mass-produce mid-nickel batteries this year.

Mid-nickel cathodes contain between 50-70% nickel. These batteries are about 10% cheaper than high-nickel ones, but boast 50% more energy density than lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries.

The cathode material is produced by sintering custom-designed metals directly, eliminating the need for the conventional precursor manufacturing process. A precursor is a key ingredient in cathode materials.

The precursor-free cathode material also enhances the battery performance, ensuring more stable operation at low temperatures compared to conventional batteries. LG Chem expects it to reduce industrial wastewater and carbon emissions as well.

LG Chem plans to integrate the precursor-free cathode material technology into future product lines to develop cost-competitive and eco-friendly products.

At Interbattery 2025 that runs until Friday, LG Chem also showcased ultrahigh-nickel cathodes with a nickel content exceeding 95%, high-voltage mid-nickel variants, high-density LFP and other types of LFP materials blended with nickel-cobalt-manganese (NCM).

“We will aggressively pursue the future (battery materials) market with next-generation technologies, including LG Precursor-Free cathodes and advanced safety components,” said Shin Hak-cheol, chief executive of LG Chem, in the press release.

(Correction: LG's precursor-free cathode materials are designed for high- and mid-nickel batteries, not for lithium iron phosphate batteries)

Write to Yeonhee Kim at yhkim@hankyung.com

Jennifer Nicholson-Breen edited this article.