Li-ion battery materials: present and future

The lithium metal battery is strongly considered to be one of the most promising candidates for high-energy-density energy storage devices in our modern and technology-based society. However, uncontrollable lithium dendrite growth induces poor cycling efficiency and severe safety concerns, dragging lithium metal batteries out of practical applications. This review presents a comprehensive overview of the lithium metal anode and its dendritic lithium growth. First, the working principles and technical challenges of a lithium metal anode are underscored. Specific attention is paid to the mechanistic understandings and quantitative models for solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) formation, lithium dendrite nucleation, and growth. On the basis of previous theoretical understanding and analysis, recently proposed strategies to suppress dendrite growth of lithium metal anode and some other metal anodes are reviewed. A section dedicated to the potential of full-cell lithium metal batteries for practical applicatio...

Toward Safe Lithium Metal Anode in Rechargeable Batteries: A Review.

Metal Oxides and Oxysalts as Anode Materials for Li Ion Batteries

Despite the imminent commercial introduction of Li-ion batteries in electric drive vehicles and their proposed use as enablers of smart grids based on renewable energy technologies, an intensive quest for new electrode materials that bring about improvements in energy density, cycle life, cost, and safety is still underway. This Progress Report highlights the recent developments and the future prospects of the use of phases that react through conversion reactions as both positive and negative electrode materials in Li-ion batteries. By moving beyond classical intercalation reactions, a variety of low cost compounds with gravimetric specific capacities that are two-to-five times larger than those attained with currently used materials, such as graphite and LiCoO(2), can be achieved. Nonetheless, several factors currently handicap the applicability of electrode materials entailing conversion reactions. These factors, together with the scientific breakthroughs that are necessary to fully assess the practicality of this concept, are reviewed in this report.

Beyond Intercalation-Based Li-Ion Batteries: The State of the Art and Challenges of Electrode Materials Reacting Through Conversion Reactions

A review of the electrochemical performance of alloy anodes for lithium-ion batteries

Analysis of the chemical diffusion coefficient of lithium ions in Li3V2(PO4)3 cathode material

Determination of the diffusion coefficient of lithium ions in nano-Si

Lithium-air batteries have become a focus of research on future battery technologies. Technical issues associated with lithium-air batteries, however, are rather complex. Apart from the sluggish oxygen reaction kinetics which demand efficient oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) catalysts, issues are also inherited from the nature of an open battery system and the use of reactive metal lithium as anode. Lithium-air batteries, which exchange oxygen directly with ambient air, face more challenges due to the additional oxidative agents of moisture, carbon dioxide, etc. which degrade the metal lithium anode, deteriorating the performance of the batteries. In order to improve the cycling performance one must hold a full picture of lithium-oxygen electrochemistry in the presence of carbon dioxide and/or moisture and fully understand the fundamentals of chemistry reactions therein. Recent advances in the exploration of the effect of moisture and CO2 contaminants on Li-O2 batteries are reviewed, and the mechanistic understanding of discharge/charge process in O2 at controlled level of moisture and/or CO2 are illustrated. Prospects for development opportunities of Li-air batteries, insight into future research directions, and guidelines for the further development of rechargeable Li-air batteries are also given.

From Lithium-Oxygen to Lithium-Air Batteries: Challenges and Opportunities

Improvement of cyclability of Si as anode for Li-ion batteries

Porous carbon materials play key roles in rechargeable Li–O2 batteries as oxygen diffusion media and sites for reversible electrode reactions. Despite tremendous efforts in the synthesis of various porous carbon materials, the influence of carbon materials on cell capacity remains unclear. Based on our study of eight different carbon electrode materials with various pore sizes and pore volumes in Li–O2 batteries, we found that the initial discharge capacity was hardly affected by the surface area or pore volume. Instead, it was directly correlated with the pore sizes. To further verify this finding, meso- and macro-porous carbon materials with pore sizes in the range of 20 to 100 nm were prepared using spherical silica as a template. The results clearly showed that the cell capacity increases with the increase of pore size and eventually reached its maximum at 7169 mA h g−1 at a pore size of 80 nm. A physical model proposed to illustrate the influence of carbon pore size on cell capacity is the formation of a monolayer of Li2O2 with a thickness of 7.8 nm inside the carbon pores during the discharge process which limits the diffusion of incoming oxygen at smaller pore size (<80 nm).

Ning Ding

Papers

Analysis of the chemical diffusion coefficient of lithium ions in Li3V2(PO4)3 cathode material

Determination of the diffusion coefficient of lithium ions in nano-Si

From Lithium-Oxygen to Lithium-Air Batteries: Challenges and Opportunities

Improvement of cyclability of Si as anode for Li-ion batteries

Influence of carbon pore size on the discharge capacity of Li–O2 batteries