LG Energy Solution Ties LMR Battery Gas Generation to Voltage Limits
Researchers found that lowering charge and discharge cutoffs significantly improved oxygen recovery and cell stability.
LG Energy Solution and Seoul National University have identified specific operating conditions that suppress gas generation in lithium manganese-rich (LMR) cells, addressing a key barrier to the chemistry's use in large-format EV batteries.
What Happened
Joint research published in Nature Communications analyzed oxygen redox behavior in LMR cathodes, which rely on manganese and lack cobalt to lower material costs. The team discovered that gas production stems from oxygen oxidized during charging that fails to fully return to its original state during discharge, damaging internal structures and raising pressure in large-format cells. By adjusting voltage limits, researchers found that lowering the upper charging voltage from 4.6 V to 4.3 V increased the share of reduced oxygen from 86% to 97%. Additionally, lowering the discharge cutoff from 3.0 V to 2.0 V allowed oxygen to recover to nearly its original state. The optimized 40 Ah-class cells retained 92.2% of their initial energy after 883 cycles.
Why It Matters
This breakthrough demonstrates that cell stability in LMR batteries can be improved through electrochemical protocol design alone, without necessarily altering the material composition. The results expand LMR’s potential beyond small-format applications, which is critical for the company’s ongoing development of LMR prismatic cells with General Motors. The two entities plan to begin US production of these cells in 2028, positioning LMR as a lower-cost alternative to cobalt-heavy chemistries for the EV market.
The Bottom Line
LG Energy Solution has successfully mitigated gas generation in LMR cells by optimizing charge and discharge voltage windows, achieving high capacity retention over hundreds of cycles and paving the way for future large-format EV battery applications.
