Recent developments in cathode materials for lithium ion batteries

Dielectric materials, which store energy electrostatically, are ubiquitous in advanced electronics and electric power systems. Compared to their ceramic counterparts, polymer dielectrics have higher breakdown strengths and greater reliability, are scalable, lightweight and can be shaped into intricate configurations, and are therefore an ideal choice for many power electronics, power conditioning, and pulsed power applications. However, polymer dielectrics are limited to relatively low working temperatures, and thus fail to meet the rising demand for electricity under the extreme conditions present in applications such as hybrid and electric vehicles, aerospace power electronics, and underground oil and gas exploration. Here we describe crosslinked polymer nanocomposites that contain boron nitride nanosheets, the dielectric properties of which are stable over a broad temperature and frequency range. The nanocomposites have outstanding high-voltage capacitive energy storage capabilities at record temperatures (a Weibull breakdown strength of 403 megavolts per metre and a discharged energy density of 1.8 joules per cubic centimetre at 250 degrees Celsius). Their electrical conduction is several orders of magnitude lower than that of existing polymers and their high operating temperatures are attributed to greatly improved thermal conductivity, owing to the presence of the boron nitride nanosheets, which improve heat dissipation compared to pristine polymers (which are inherently susceptible to thermal runaway). Moreover, the polymer nanocomposites are lightweight, photopatternable and mechanically flexible, and have been demonstrated to preserve excellent dielectric and capacitive performance after intensive bending cycles. These findings enable broader applications of organic materials in high-temperature electronics and energy storage devices.

Flexible high-temperature dielectric materials from polymer nanocomposites

Potassium-sodium niobate lead-free piezoelectric materials: past, present, and future of phase boundaries.

An insight into the analogies, state-of-the-art technologies, concepts, and prospects under the umbrella of perovskite materials (both inorganic-organic hybrid halide perovskites and ferroelectric perovskites) for future multifunctional energy conversion and storage devices is provided. Often, these are considered entirely different branches of research; however, considering them simultaneously and holistically can provide several new opportunities. Recent advancements have highlighted the potential of hybrid perovskites for high-efficiency solar cells. The intrinsic polar properties of these materials, including the potential for ferroelectricity, provide additional possibilities for simultaneously exploiting several energy conversion mechanisms such as the piezoelectric, pyroelectric, and thermoelectric effect and electrical energy storage. The presence of these phenomena can support the performance of perovskite solar cells. The energy conversion using these effects (piezo-, pyro-, and thermoelectric effect) can also be enhanced by a change in the light intensity. Thus, there lies a range of possibilities for tuning the structural, electronic, optical, and magnetic properties of perovskites to simultaneously harvest energy using more than one mechanism to realize an improved efficiency. This requires a basic understanding of concepts, mechanisms, corresponding material properties, and the underlying physics involved with these effects.

Mutual Insight on Ferroelectrics and Hybrid Halide Perovskites: A Platform for Future Multifunctional Energy Conversion.

Perovskite lead-free dielectrics for energy storage applications

The demand for dielectric capacitors with higher energy-storage capability is increasing for power electronic devices due to the rapid development of electronic industry. Existing dielectrics for high-energy-storage capacitors and potential new capacitor technologies are reviewed toward realizing these goals. Various dielectric materials with desirable permittivity and dielectric breakdown strength potentially meeting the device requirements are discussed. However, some significant limitations for current dielectrics can be ascribed to their low permittivity, low breakdown strength, and high hysteresis loss, which will decrease their energy density and efficiency. Thus, the implementation of dielectric materials for high-energy-density applications requires the comprehensive understanding of both the materials design and processing. The optimization of high-energy-storage dielectrics will have far-reaching impacts on the sustainable energy and will be an important research topic in the near future.

Homogeneous/Inhomogeneous-Structured Dielectrics and their Energy-Storage Performances.

(1 − x)BNTBT-xNN ceramics were prepared by conventional solid state reaction method. X-ray fluorescence analysis shows that the volatilization of Na element occurs during sintering process, the resulted concentration variation of V ′ Na − V O − V ′ Na defect dipoles facilitate the grain growth. XRD analysis and dielectric properties analysis indicate that rhombohedral polar phase and tetragonal weakly polar phase coexist in BNTBT ceramics at room temperature. By increasing the NN amount, the rhombohedral polar phase content sharply decreases, leading to a smaller remnant polarization. The dielectric anomaly corresponding to the depolarization temperature disappears from the temperature range investigated. According to the XRD results, the amount of tetragonal weakly polar phase decreases with increasing NN content and the structure evolves toward a pseudocubic symmetry. The phase structure change results in more slim P–E loops. The optimum energy storage properties was obtained for the composition of x = 0.10, with energy storage density of 0.71 J/cm3 at 7 kV/mm and a good temperature stability around 25–150 °C.

Enhanced energy storage properties of NaNbO3 modified Bi0.5Na0.5TiO3 based ceramics

(Ba 0.4 Sr 0.6 )TiO 3 (BST) ceramics with various grain sizes (0.5–5.6 μm) were prepared by conventional solid state reaction methods. The effect of grain size on the energy storage properties of BST ceramics ( T c  ≈ −65 °C) was investigated. With decreasing grain sizes, a clear tendency toward the diffuse phase transition was observed and the dielectric nonlinearity was reduced gradually, which can be explained by the Devonshire's phenomenological theory (from the viewpoint of intrinsic polarization). Based on the multi-polarization mechanism model, the relationship between the polarization behavior of polar nano-regions (the extrinsic nonlinear polarization mechanisms) and grain size was studied. The variation of the grain boundary density was thought to play an important role on the improvement of dielectric breakdown strength, account for the enhanced energy density, which was confirmed by the complex impedance spectroscopy analysis based on a double-layered dielectric model.

Effect of grain size on the energy storage properties of (Ba0.4Sr0.6)TiO3 paraelectric ceramics

Lead-free (1-x)BaTiO3-xBi(Mg1/2Zr1/2)O3 ((1-x)BT-xBMZ) ceramics with perovskite structure were synthesized by solid-state reaction methods. (1-x)BT-xBMZ solid solution transforms from tetragonal (x≤0.04) to pseudocubic (x≥0.08) and exhibits a dispersive dielectric behavior with respect to frequency, showing typical relaxor characteristics with BMZ increasing. The optimal energy storage density of 1.25 J cm−3 and energy efficiency of >95% are obtained at x = 0.15, with maximum dielectric breakdown strength of 185 kV cm-1 at 200 μm thickness., The energy storage density and energy efficiency of 0.85BT-0.15BMZ ceramics maintain at about 0.8 J cm−3 and 89% at 150 kV cm-1 over temperature range of 25 °C∼150 °C, exhibiting good thermal stability. The pulse discharge capability of 0.85BT-0.15BMZ ceramics were measured under different electric fields, showing a short charge-discharge time of 1.3 μs. Therefore (1-x)BT-xBMZ solid solution with high energy density and efficiency, good temperature stability and fast discharge speed, is promising candidate for high power applications.

Minghe Cao

Papers

Homogeneous/Inhomogeneous-Structured Dielectrics and their Energy-Storage Performances.

Enhanced energy storage properties of NaNbO3 modified Bi0.5Na0.5TiO3 based ceramics

Effect of grain size on the energy storage properties of (Ba0.4Sr0.6)TiO3 paraelectric ceramics

Enhanced energy storage and fast discharge properties of BaTiO3 based ceramics modified by Bi(Mg1/2Zr1/2)O3

Structure and dielectric behavior of Nd-doped BaTiO3 perovskites