Application 28 - Improvement of Lithium-Ion Battery Performances by Controlling Nanocomposite Structure

Abstract

Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) have been widely used as power sources for electric devices and electric vehicles, and hence the performances of LIBs are constantly improved along with their technological developments. The electrode materials and its particle structure, in particular, are crucial factors for improving battery performance. In this section, we focus on the particle design of active materials used in cathode electrodes for traditional liquid-based LIBs and future all-solid-state lithium batteries. To derive a better battery performance, an appropriate particle structure should be built depending on its material properties. The fabrication of such cathode particles usually requires multistep processes including particle synthesis, pulverization, mixing, and granulation. A mechanical synthesis method using an attrition-type mill, which is a dry powder process, is one of the simple and low-cost techniques to produce particles. This method can achieve a direct synthesis of cathode materials at room temperature and a subsequent formation of composite granules with a one-step process. Here, we propose a suitable particle structure for some cathode materials and show the microstructure and electrochemical performances of cathode particles synthesized by the mechanical method.