(Invited) Role of Lithium Doping in Layered Transition Metal Oxide Electrodes for Sodium Ion Batteries

Abstract

Large-scale energy storage systems are urgently needed to enable the success of renewable but intermittent energy sources such as solar and wind power. Sodium ion batteries are a promising technology to address the need for large-scale energy storage systems, but their performance needs improvement to be competitive for this application. Dopants, especially lithium, have been shown to improve the performance of layered sodium transition metal oxide positive electrodes significantly. This talk will discuss the nature in which lithium is incorporated into the layered structures has a distinct effect on the modification of the electrodes’ properties, enhancing capacity and/or stability. A thorough understanding of the effect of lithium dopant location can inform the design of superior sodium ion battery positive electrode materials. High-temperature processing to tailor the positive electrode structures will also be discussed. High performance cathodes with lithium dopants may help address the growing challenge of large-scale energy storage to support renewable energy technology.