UNIST, U.S. Researchers Develop 200°C-Resistant Material for EV and Aerospace Power Components

Polymer dielectric with enhanced mechanical strength and insulation performance, developed with Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory using a crosslinking agent

Over 90% charge-discharge efficiency at 200°C; estimated lifespan 12 times longer... Published in Nature Communications

A super heat-resistant film capacitor material has been developed to overcome the vulnerability of electric vehicles and aerospace equipment to high temperatures.

A core technology that extends the service life of power systems for future mobility by 12 times is set to address frequent failures caused by intense heat.

The way is now open for capacitors, key components in electric vehicle motors and aerospace equipment, to store power reliably even at temperatures of 200°C.

A joint research team led by Professor Kim Bongsu of the Department of Chemistry at UNIST (Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology) and Dr. Yi Liu of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) in the United States has developed a film capacitor dielectric that maintains energy storage efficiency above 90% even at high temperatures.

Researchers: Professor Kim Bongsu (left) and researcher Kang Hyomin. Photo provided by UNIST.

Capacitors rapidly store and release electricity to counter sudden voltage fluctuations. Existing film capacitors have been widely used because they are lightweight and easy to shape. However, they are vulnerable to heat, causing power leakage and frequent damage in high-temperature environments.

The research team addressed this weakness by adding a specially developed crosslinking agent, “6Bx,” to a commercially available polymer (PEI). When exposed to temperatures above 150°C, the molecules interweave into a dense network, preventing both deformation and current leakage.

The test results were striking. Under high-voltage conditions at 200°C, existing commercial films failed before completing 10,000 charge-discharge cycles. By contrast, the new material operated normally even after 100,000 cycles. Its estimated service life is about 60 years, 12 times longer than that of existing products.

The technology also has strong commercialization potential, as it maximizes performance simply by adding a crosslinking agent, without requiring the existing material to be redesigned from scratch.

“This is a simple post-processing technology that raises the performance limits of polymers already used in industry by adding a crosslinking agent, without having to redesign new polymers,” said Professor Kim Bongsu. “It can be applied to a variety of polymers and delivers uniform performance even in large-area films, so it could directly contribute to the commercialization of film capacitors for high-temperature, high-electric-field environments, including electric vehicles, aerospace, and subsurface resource exploration.”

Kang Hyomin, a researcher at UNIST’s Graduate School of Carbon Neutrality, participated in the study as the first author.

The research was conducted with support from the Samsung Science & Technology Foundation and the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) under the Ministry of Science and ICT. The team also used the Molecular Foundry and Advanced Light Source (ALS) facilities at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, which is part of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE).

The findings were published online on October 19, 2026, in the international journal Nature Communications.

Film dielectric used in capacitors for electric vehicles and aerospace applications. Using polymer film instead of ceramic as the dielectric can make capacitors lighter. [Image generated with AI]

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