High-performance Lithium-ion Batteries Research Articles

Mechanically robust and conductive Ti5Te4/P@C composite materials as promising lithium-ion battery anodes

An urgent need has emerged to develop lithium-ion battery anodes that exhibit high reversible capacity and rate performance surpassing carbonaceous materials. Si-based composites have been investigated extensively. However, in this study, we explored another potential alloy anode consisting of Te and phosphorus without Si. Herein, we present a novel composite material, Ti5Te4/P@C, as an anode for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). Tellurium, which exhibits good electrical conductivity and high volumetric capacity, and red phosphorus, which exhibits high theoretical capacity, were selected as potential anode materials. To overcome the common drawbacks of the two materials, including the vigorous expansion of volume, electrochemically inactive materials, such as titanium and carbon, were introduced as matrix buffers. Te, Ti, red phosphorus, and C were synthesized using a three-step high energy ball milling (HEBM) technique, that is, stepwise synthesis of (1) Ti and Te, (2) red phosphorus, and (3) carbon. The developed Ti5Te4/P@C composites revealed that the introduction of red P led to the generation of additional pure Te in the Ti5Te4/P@C composites, which was owing to the different binding interactions between Ti, Te, and red P, as confirmed by DFT calculations. Among the developed Ti5Te4/P@C anodes, Ti5Te4/P(30 wt%)@C exhibited outstanding cyclability and high rate performance (440 mAh g−1 at 300 mA g−1 after 500 cycles). To confirm the electrochemical responses and Li+ ion diffusion mechanisms, CV and GITT analyses were performed. Based on the electrochemical characteristics, the superior electrochemical performance of the Ti5Te4/P@C anodes can be ascribed to the well-defined composite structure, including the high electrical conductivity of Te, high theoretical capacity of red P, and effective buffering agents of Ti as a mechanical supporter and conductive C, which enable a pseudocapacitive response, providing better reversibility. Therefore, the Ti5Te4/P@C composite materials are viable anodes for high-performance LIBs.

Scalable Synthesis of a Si/C Composite Derived from Photovoltaic Silicon Kerf Waste toward Anodes for High-Performance Lithium-Ion Batteries

Scalable Synthesis of a Si/C Composite Derived from Photovoltaic Silicon Kerf Waste toward Anodes for High-Performance Lithium-Ion Batteries

Nanocrystalline Cellulose-Supported Iron Oxide Composite Materials for High-Performance Lithium-Ion Batteries.

Nanocrystalline cellulose (NCC) can be converted into carbon materials for the fabrication of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) as well as serve as a substrate for the incorporation of transition metal oxides (TMOs) to restrain the volume expansion, one of the most significant challenges of TMO-based LIBs. To improve the electrochemical performance and enhance the longer cycling stability of LIBs, a nanocrystalline cellulose-supported iron oxide (Fe2O3) composite (denoted as NCC-Fe2O3) is synthesized and utilized as electrodes in LIBs. The obtained NCC-Fe2O3 electrode exhibited stable cycling performance, better capacity, and high-rate capacity, and delivered a specific discharge capacity of 576.70 mAh g-1 at 100 mA g-1 after 1000 cycles. Moreover, the NCC-Fe2O3 electrode was restored and showed an upward trend of capacity after working at high current densities, indicating the fabricated composite is a promising approach to designing next-generation high-energy density lithium-ion batteries.

Rational design of highly conductive and stable 3D flexible composite current collector for high performance lithium-ion battery electrodes

Rational design of highly conductive and stable 3D flexible composite current collector for high performance lithium-ion battery electrodes

Constructing a buffer macroporous architecture on silicon/carbon anode for high-performance lithium-ion battery

Constructing a buffer macroporous architecture on silicon/carbon anode for high-performance lithium-ion battery

Renewed graphite for high-performance lithium-ion batteries: catalytic graphitization approach

Renewed graphite for high-performance lithium-ion batteries: catalytic graphitization approach

Multi-dimensional assembly of ZnO nanodots in the reticular carbon nanofibers for high-performance lithium-ion batteries

Due to the high theoretical specific capacity, abundant resources, easy availability, and environmental amicability, zinc oxide (ZnO) has been regarded as a promising alternative for lithium-ion battery anode. However, the further application of ZnO anode is still faced with great challenges such as huge volume transformation and intrinsic low conductivity. Herein, we propose a simple strategy for the preparation of ZnO/carbon clusters (∼50 nm) which are assembled with uniformly distributed ZnO nanodots (∼5 nm) in the three-dimensional carbon nanofibers (ZnO/CNFs) through an electrospinning and subsequent carbonization process using gallic acid-zinc coordination polymer (GAZ) as precursor. The multi-dimensional assembly of ZnO nanodots and reticular formation of conductive carbon network can effectively alleviate the volume change of ZnO anode during long-term cycling process and promote the fast transfer of electrolyte ions/electrons, greatly improving the rate and cycle performance. As a result, the ZnO/CNFs electrode exhibits excellent rate performance of 375.3 mAh g−1 at 2 A g−1 and long cycling stability with capacity retention of 92% over 600 cycles at 1 A g−1. These features indicate that the systematic combination of electrospinning and metal-organic coordination polymers have significant promise for the construction of high-performance metal derivative anodes.

Hydrated LiOH modified Ni0.1Fe0.9PS3 anodes towards safer high-performance lithium-ion batteries

Direct contact pre-lithiation with additives in anodes brings a potential strategy for developing highly cyclable lithium ion batteries (LIBs). Herein, using hydrated LiOH as an additive having multifunctional roles, applications of Ni-doped FePS3 (Ni0.1Fe0.9PS3) layers are theoretically and experimentally demonstrated for high capacity and cyclability LIBs. It is shown that the aggregation of Li2S, affecting reversibility of chalcogenide-based anodes while hosting lithium ions in the reversible intercalation process, can be addressed by weakening the bond polarizability in Fe-S bond with LiOH addition. This improves the cyclability and rate retention along with a higher capacity, evincing hydrated LiOH as a safer pre-lithiation agent – unlike many other reported additives. The calculated density of states of pre-lithiated Ni0.1Fe0.9PS3 reveals the development of new symmetric point that is beneficial for achieving high electrical conductivity along with a higher binding energy for Li. The results underline the improved capacity with modification (524 mAh g−1 at 1 A g−1 after 100 cycles) than with that of unmodified one, in tune with the experimental results. This demonstration hence establishes a new safer generic strategy for developing high-rate retention anodes of sulphides in next generation energy storage devices.

Improving LiFePO4 cathode stability in lithium-ion batteries by hybridizing activated tannic with PEDOT:PSS binders

The conventional binder polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) exhibits substantial polarization resistance at high magnification because of its inertness to Li+ and electrons. In addition, 1-methyl-2-pyrrolidinone (NMP) solvents are toxic, expensive, and environmentally harmful. In this study, we enhanced the poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)/poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) binder by incorporating varying ratios of tannic acid (TA) to develop a water-soluble TA-PEDOT:PSS (TAPE) binder. TAPE1,1 with a TA to PEDOT:PSS ratio of 1:1, designated as TAPE1,1, exhibited high tensile strength (7.55 N/m), low impedance (61 Ω), remarkable cycling stability of 121 mAh g−1 (retaining 83.6 % capacity over 1000 cycles), and excellent rate performance (95 mAh g−1 at a 10C rate). Consequently, this study provides valuable insights into the design of high-performance lithium batteries.

Effect of thermal processing conditions on the structure and properties of porous PENK/PVDF composite films and its application as lithium-ions separators

By developing high-performance lithium-ion battery technology, the demands on the design of separator modification have increased. However, battery performance and safety are limited by conventional polyolefin separators' poor thermal resistance and electrolyte wettability. Biphenyl-type poly (arylene ether nitrile ketone) (BP-PENK) is synthesized. PENK polymers are a class of poly (aryl ether) with excellent properties of both Poly (aryl ether nitrile) (PEN) and Poly (ether ketone) (PEEK). The BP-PENK/PVDF composite film is further processed by non-solvent induced phase separation (NIPS), and the impact of annealing temperatures on the thermal resistance and crystalline phase structure of composite separators has been studied. The composite separator owns enhanced ionic conductivity, excellent electrolyte wettability, and superior thermal durability. The cell equipped with the composite separator has a discharge-specific capacity of 146.5 mAh·g−1 and a capacity retention rate of 86.64 %. In this way, A novel approach to producing lithium-ion battery separators that possess outstanding electrochemical properties and high thermal durability is provided.

Novel Aliphatic polycarbonate binders for Solvent‑free manufacturing High‑loading cathodes of high-performance lithium-ion batteries

To achieve high energy density lithium-ion battery depends on high area load of the active material in the cathode. However, it is challenging to attain high loading of active material by traditional wet coating method due to large amount of organic solvent used. A solvent-free manufacturing cathode that take advantages of viscous flow polymer binder under shearing force of ball-milling to bind the active materials and the conductive carbon uniformly on the current collector is an environment-friendly alternative and has attracted increasing attention. Herein, a solvent free manufacturing LiFeO4 cathode with thermoplastic polymer poly(lactide-co-propylene carbonate) as functional binder has high area loading up to 57 mg/cm2 of active material, and the battery assembled with such a LiFeO4 cathode and lithium metal anode can release a specific capacity of 135.5 mAh/g at 0.2C. In addition, the cathode using poly(propylene carbonate) or polycaprolactone functional binder can also be loaded with 40 mg/cm2 of active material, which expands the variety of binders for solvent free manufacturing electrodes. Solvent free manufacturing electrodes with such functional binders are expected to break through the technical bottleneck of lithium-ion battery with high energy density.

A Study of Porous Activated Carbon Anodes for High-Performance Lithium-Ion Batteries

This research paper explores the intricate realm of porous activated carbon anodes for high-performance lithium-ion batteries, responding to the escalating demand for advanced energy storage systems. The study begins by delving into various synthesis methods, including physical and chemical activation, and hybrid approaches, aiming to optimize porosity and surface chemistry. Detailed investigations into structural characteristics encompass surface area, pore distribution, morphology, and surface chemistry. Advanced microscopy techniques and characterization tools provide insights into the complex interplay between structural features and electrochemical performance. Moving beyond the laboratory, the paper explores potential applications of porous activated carbon anodes. In electric vehicles, these anodes demonstrate promise in enhancing energy and power density, critical factors for the widespread adoption of electric transportation. For portable electronic devices, the lightweight nature and improved safety profile make them an attractive choice. Additionally, the study assesses the feasibility of integrating porous activated carbon anodes in grid-scale energy storage, contributing to the stability and reliability of renewable energy integration. Environmental considerations are addressed, evaluating the sustainability and recyclability of porous activated carbon anodes. The paper concludes by summarizing key findings, emphasizing the significance of porous activated carbon in advancing lithium-ion battery technology, and proposing future research directions to overcome current challenges. The extensive array of references underscores the interdisciplinary nature of the research, incorporating a diverse range of sources to provide a comprehensive overview of the field.

Sub-micron porous Si-C/graphite anode with interpenetrated 3D conductive networks towards high-performance lithium-ion batteries

Silicon (Si) has been envisaged as the most promising anode candidate for future lithium-ion batteries with high energy density and large power owing to its high theoretical capacity and abundance. However, the inherent drawbacks of Si anodes such as low electrical conductivity and volume variation seriously hinder their commercial scalable application. Here we demonstrate a magnesiothermic reduction process for converting marigold structured silica precursor into sub-micron silicon replicas. The complicated structured silica was converted into co-continuous composites of silicon, graphite and amorphous carbon layer by in-situ generation. This electrode delivers excellent rate capability with a discharge specific capacity of 631.7 mAh g−1 at 3 A g−1 and high cycling stability of 1114.9 mAh g−1 after 200 cycles at 0.1 A g−1. Moreover, the coulombic efficiency increased rapidly from the initial 62–97.3% after only 10 cycles and 98.8% can be obtained with negligible fading after 200 cycles. Remarkably, some byproduct partially decomposed from surfactant can be in-situ derived into amorphous carbon layer deposited in the gap of wrinkled silicon spheres, which was effectively improves the complete conductive contact and the interface compatibility between active materials. This work provides a new design strategy for preparing Si-graphite anodes suitable for commercial applications.

Enhanced High-Temperature Cycling Stability of Garnet-Based All Solid-State Lithium Battery Using a Multi-Functional Catholyte Buffer Layer

HighlightsThermally stable catholyte buffer layer was fabricated via incorporating a multi-functional flame-retardant triphenyl phosphate additive into poly(ethylene oxide).The optimized catholyte buffer layer enabled thermal and electrochemical stability at interface level, delivering comparable cycling stability of garnet-based all solid-state lithium battery, i.e., capacity retention of 98.5% after 100 cycles at 60 °C, and 89.6% after 50 cycles at 80 °C.Exceptional safety performances were demonstrated, i.e., safely cycling behavior at temperature up to 100 °C and spontaneous fire-extinguishing ability.

MOF-silsesquioxane synergistic modified hybrid porous membrane for high-performance and high-safety lithium battery

As an emerging alternative separator, electrospun PVDF-HFP (polyvinylidene fluoride-hexafluoropropylene) has been widely studied in lithium battery over the years. However, some shortcomings of PVDF-HFP have limited its further application, such as, poor thermal stability, mechanical and electrochemistry properties. In this work, the cage-like silsesquioxanes (CSQ) and metal–organic-framework (MOF) were chemically bound to PVDF-HFP, and a modified hybrid fibrous membrane with hierarchical pore was fabricated. These hybrid groups were successfully introduced into the backbone of PVDF-HFP, which was not only demonstrated by characterization of their chemical structures, and also demonstrated by morphologies and elemental mass spectrometry with the help of scanning electron microscopy/energy dispersive spectroscopy (SEM/EDS). Due to the incorporation of these hybrid groups, the membrane exhibited high thermal stabilities and good flame-retardant performance, and could also play an important role in regulating and improving the migration property of lithium ions and interface performance between electrolyte and electrodes during battery charging/discharging process.

Inert salt-assisted solvent-free synthesis of high-entropy oxide towards high-performance lithium-ion batteries

High-entropy oxide (HEO) is a promising anode material for lithium-ion battery (LIB) due to the synergistic effect of various metal species. Conventional HEO preparations typically involve a solid-state route or liquid-phase mixing followed by high-temperature calcination, leading to either a small surface area or environmental contamination. Herein, a novel, facile solvent-free preparation of HEOs is introduced, applying inert salt, NaCl, as an easily removable, eco-friendly and recyclable template. This approach realizes high-purity porous HEO (NPHEO) with specific surface area (28.1 m2 g−1) for high-performance lithium-ion batteries. With the enhanced electrochemical kinetics, the NPHEO anodes deliver a high reversible specific capacities of 1143.6 at 0.2 A/g. In addition, the NPHEO-based cells exhibit a desirable rate capability of 315.7 mAh/g at 5 A/g. At 1 A/g the cell delivers a good cyclability of 71.8 % capacity retention over 600 cycles, corresponding to an average coulombic efficiency of above 99.94 % per cycle. Ex-situ X-ray diffraction and in-situ electrochemical impedance spectroscopy experiments further probe the structural evolution and electrochemical behavior during lithiation/delithiation, confirming the structural stability and fast electrochemical kinetics of NPHEO. The proposed advanced synthesis approach offers a new platform for the preparation of HEOs with high quality.

In Situ Construction of a Polymer Coating Layer on the LiNi0.8Co0.1Mn0.1O2 Cathode for High-Performance Lithium-Ion Batteries.

Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) are known for their high energy density but exhibit poor cyclic stability and safety risks due to side reactions between the electrode and electrolyte. To address these issues, a novel approach involving construction of a polymer coating layer (PCL) via in situ self-polymerization using 2,2,3,4,4,4-hexafluorobutyl methacrylate (HFBM) as an electrolyte additive on the cathode is proposed. The PCL endows the electrolyte with a high onset oxidation potential (4.78 V) and lithium-ion transference number (0.52). The uniform and robust in situ constructed PCL can effectively inhibit the severe irreversible side reactions and suppress harmful reactions, thus providing a protective barrier against degradation. The resulting Li||LiNi0.8Co0.1Mn0.1O2 batteries exhibit an improved discharge capacity retention of 80% at 1C over 100 cycles. These results demonstrate that the in situ self-polymerization strategy holds promising potential for enhancing LIB performance and long-term stability, especially when high-voltage cathode materials are used.

Microstructured pebble stone like Ni-NiO composite as anode of high-performance lithium-ion batteries

Ni-NiO electrodes were synthesized via thermal oxidation of pure nickel powder and evaluated as anode of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). The composite synthesized at 600˚C, 800˚C, and 1000˚C exhibited nanochips, crushed gravel stone, and pebble stone-like morphology, respectively. The nanochips- and crushed gravel stone featured-like electrodes exhibited erratic behavior, and specific capacity faded rapidly from 754.49 mAh g-1 and 101.12 mAh g-1 to 464.04 mAh g-1 and 9.55 mAh g-1, respectively over 10th cycle at a current rate of 1C as the electrode experiences internal short circuit. The pebble stone-like Ni-NiO electrode exhibited improved and stable cyclic performance with 1st discharge capacity of 365.17 mAh g-1 and reduced to 67.42 mAh g-1 even after 40th cycle at 1C current rate. The improved electrochemical performance of composite Ni-NiO with a pebble stone-like feature can be attributed to the mechanical stability of the electrode, which can buffer volume expansion, and the presence of more nanoparticles on the electrode surface allows more interaction with Li+.

High-performance solid-state Li-ion batteries enabled by homogeneous, large-area ferroelectric PVDF-TrFE solid polymer electrolytes via horizontal centrifugal casting method

Solid polymer electrolytes (SPEs) have emerged as promising alternatives for enhancing the safety features of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) while remaining compatible with established LIB manufacturing processes. However, a persistent challenge has been the relatively limited yield achieved via traditional fabrication techniques such as solution casting and doctor blade methods. In this study, we present a novel strategy to produce extensive and uniform films of solid polymer electrolytes using a ferroelectric polyvinylidene fluoride-trifluoroethylene (PVDF-TrFE) polymer. This approach employs horizontal centrifugal casting (HCC), a technique hitherto unutilized for SPE production. The substantial centrifugal forces generated during the HCC process yield SPE films characterized by uniform thickness across the surface and elevated ionic conductivity at ambient temperature. Compared to conventional solution casting techniques, the Li//Li cell featuring the SPE derived from HCC manifests stable electrochemical performance and increased cycle endurance. Additionally, a full cell incorporating a Li iron phosphate cathode displays consistent electrochemical behavior at room temperature. Notably, a 3 × 4 cm2 pouch cell maintains its performance attributes even under mechanical stress conditions such as folding and punching. These findings underscore the potential effectiveness of employing the HCC method in the development of high-performance SPE-based LIB systems.

Transient freezing strategy of metastable lithium titanate for high performance lithium-ion battery anodes under high pressure

Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) with a solid-solution or single-phase intercalation mechanism are considered to be excellent candidates for fast charging and addressing range anxiety, as they have few kinetic energy barriers apart from ion diffusion. In this regard, we capture metastable lithium titanate using High-Pressure High-Temperature (HPHT) synthesis technique under thermodynamic control in only 30 min. Compared with most conventional synthesis methods in the field, the preparation time is only 1.6–3.6% of them. Interestingly, stable and controllable structural defects can be induced under high pressure. Additionally, the HPHT-induced “fracture” structure significantly improves the kinetics of electrolyte storage and exhibits a remarkable pseudocapacitance of up to 89.1%. After 1000 cycles at 10 C, it still retains a reversible capacity of 165 mAh g−1 with a capacity retention rate of 97%. The capture of metastable phase by HPHT technology provides a new perspective and approach for material optimization and design.