L&F's World-First 'High-Nickel' Technology Powers Future Industries [K Industry: Designers of the Future]

(18) Jeon Sanghun, Head of L&F's Materials Development Research Institute

Key Materials for Premium EVs and Robots
A String of World Firsts Since 50% Nickel
AI-Powered Mass-Production Validation to Minimize Losses
Leading the Next-Generation Market, Including Solid-State Batteries

Editor's NoteThe landscape of Korea's industries is changing rapidly. Amid the turbulence of global markets, next-generation technology researchers and engineers are quietly designing tomorrow. They are the lifeblood of the Korean economy and the true leaders who will sustain the country's future. The Asia Business Daily is publishing an interview series, "K Industry: Designers of the Future," highlighting their world of innovative technology and their vision for the future. The eighteenth interview features Jeon Sanghun, executive director and head of the Materials Development Research Institute at L&F.

To extend the driving range of electric vehicles and ensure that robots and drones can operate for longer, more energy must be packed into smaller, lighter batteries. Cathode materials are key to achieving this. High-nickel cathode materials, which raise energy density by increasing nickel content, are considered a technology that will support the performance of future modes of transportation and the robotics industry. The ability to mass-produce materials developed in the laboratory with consistent quality is what makes them a source of industrial competitiveness.

"Not once has L&F failed to mass-produce a material it developed."

Jeon Sanghun, head of L&F's Materials Development Research Center, speaks with The Asia Business Daily at the company's headquarters in Daegu on the 14th. L&F.

Jeon Sanghun, head of the Materials Development Research Institute, explained the secret behind the company's technological competitiveness when met at L&F's headquarters in Daegu on October 14. "Because we assessed whether a material could be mass-produced from the development stage, we were able to minimize sunk costs from trial and error and accelerate commercialization," he emphasized.

Even when battery materials perform well in experiments, it can be difficult to maintain the same performance and quality during large-scale mass production. "L&F's competitive edge in high-nickel technology is the result of testing mass-production processes alongside material design from the outset," Jeon said.

Starting with materials containing 50% nickel in 2007, L&F has continued to achieve world-first mass-production milestones, reaching 90% in 2020 and 95% ultra-high-nickel content in 2024. For NCM (nickel, cobalt, and manganese) cathode materials, a higher nickel content makes it easier to increase energy density. Because they can store more energy at the same weight, these materials are used in premium electric vehicles, humanoid robots, and unmanned drones.

L&F, the exclusive supplier of ultra-high-nickel products to the North American market, saw its sales rise from 739.6 billion won in the first quarter of 2026 to 885 billion won in the second quarter. Its operating profit for the first half of the year was 138.1 billion won.

Jeon joined L&F in 2006 and has worked there for 20 years, making him a longtime employee who has spent his entire career at the company. He worked as a materials development researcher for 13 years, served as head of quality in 2020, and has been with the Materials Development Research Institute since 2024.

Pursuing Integrated Solutions, Including Recycling

He plans to build on his experience in high-nickel mass production to develop next-generation materials for solid-state, sodium-ion, and lithium manganese-rich (LMR) batteries.

"Building on our experience as the first in the world to mass-produce ultra-high-nickel NCM cathode materials, we will lead the market for next-generation battery materials, including those for solid-state and sodium-ion batteries," Jeon said. "We are steadily preparing cathode materials for solid-state batteries, and development work is also underway on sodium-ion batteries."

Artificial intelligence (AI) is also being used to validate materials for mass production. "AI connects the materials data being developed at the research institute with mass-production data through big data analysis," Jeon said. "AI also helps identify how to minimize losses during mass production and which issues can be prevented in advance."

There have also been cases in which products that met customer requirements did not lead to business. This was due to changes in market conditions, including declining demand for premium electric vehicles.

"There were times when, despite doing an excellent job developing a product and meeting the performance requirements set by the customer, we had no choice but to end a project because the business environment had changed," Jeon recalled. "We all found it very difficult, because we knew how hard everyone across the company had worked."

L&F is also expanding its business scope, from recovering raw materials to producing precursors and supplying cathode materials. "Recycling capabilities are essential not only for price and performance competitiveness but also for responding to rapidly changing global policies and environmental regulations," Jeon said. "To strengthen the competitiveness of high-nickel NCM, we are moving toward providing integrated solutions that cover everything from precursors to recycling."

A view of the LLBS plant jointly established by L&F and LS Group. The Asia Business Daily database

Its subsidiary JHC handles the pretreatment of spent batteries, while its partner CIS Chemical recovers valuable metals, including nickel, from black mass, an intermediate product in battery recycling. LLBS, a joint venture with LS Group that produces precursors from recovered materials, completed its plant last year and is preparing to begin commercial production in the fourth quarter of 2026.

"We cannot know what products customers will request, but we will work to become a company that diversifies its product portfolio and can provide new value and solutions," Jeon said.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.