Commonly used commercialized cathode materials in lithium ion batteries and the corresponding enhancement with the help of nanotechnology

Abstract

Continuous consumption of non-renewable resources generates a mass of carbon emissions which is blamed for global warming. Consequently, the research of high power and green electric vehicles has brought to the marketing. Therefore, in this paper, four commercialized cathode materials used prevalently in lithium-ion batteries, layered LiCoO2, spinel LiMn2O4, and olivine LiFePO4, and layered LiNi1-x-yCoxMnyO2, and the application of nanotechnology in improving electrode performance are introduced. Due to the different crystal structures of olivine, layered, and spinel, the corresponding lithium-ion diffusion path is 1-dimensional, 2-dimensional, and 3-dimensional, which is closely related to their electrode performance. The utilization of nanotechnology benefits the electrode performance to a large extent because of the shortening of lithium-ion diffusion paths as a result of increasing surface-to-volume ratio. Electrochemical properties including energy density, rate capability, capacity retention, electronic conductivity, and cycling performance are all enhanced through the application of nanorods, carbon nanotubes, reduced graphene oxides, etc.