Phase transition of lithiated-spinel Li2Mn2O4 at high temperature

1 Introduction Lithium manganese oxides are the most attractive cathode materials for rechargeable lithium-ion batteries because of their low-cost and less toxicity when compared with either cobaltates or nickelates[1?3]. Among these oxides, the spinel-fr…     

锂离子电池正极材料第一原理计算研究

利用第一原理计算方法可分析和预测锂-金属氧化物电池正极材料在Li离子嵌入脱出过程中的电势和稳定性等性能。本文详细介绍了第一原理计算方法的理论背景以及目前LiCoO2正极材料计算研究的现状。利用此方法对LiNiO2及多组分材料掺杂进行研究是今后工作的重点。     

Synthesis and electrochemical properties of Th-doped LiMn2O4 powders for lithium-ion batteries

To improve the cycle performance of eco-friendly and cost-effective spinel LiMN2O4 as the Li secondary batteries, the Th-doped LiThxMn1-xO4 spinel powers were synthesized by solid-state method. The starting materials, Li2CO3,MnO2 and Th(NO3)4·4H2O, were mixed uniformly using a traditional ball milling, which resulted in a uniform particle size distribution in the mixed powers. Tests of X-ray diffraction, SEM, impedance spectra and charge-discharge were carried out for LiThxMn1-xO4 cathode materials. Results show that the synthesized LiTh0.01Mn1.99O4 material exhibits standard spinel structure, regular particle morphology and excellent property of charge-discharge for big current. The capacity retention of the material modified by doping Th is more than 85.1% of the first discharge specific capacity of 111.5 mAh·g -1 after 20 cycles at the current rate 1C, while the pristine LiMN2O4 is only 57% of the first discharge specific capacity of 110.2 mAh·g-1 after the same cycles at the same current rate.     

Synthesis of nano Sb-encapsulated pyrolytic polyacrylonitrile composite for anode material in lithium secondary batteries

A novel process was proposed to synthesize nano Sb-encapsulated pyrolytic polyacrylonitrile composite for anode material in lithium secondary batteries. The preparation started with the dissolution of SbCl₃ and polyacrylonitrile (PAN) in dimethylformamide (DMF) solution, followed by the addition of KBH₄ to reduce Sb³⁺ in the solution. The Sb composite was obtained by pyrolysis of the Sb/PAN mixture that precipitated out when the DMF solution was added by plentiful water. The TEM analysis showed that about 100-200 nm Sb particles were embedded by the pyrolyzed PAN, which provided a conductive matrix to relieve the morphological change of Sb during electrochemical cycling. As-prepared composite presented good cycleability for lithium storage. The proposed process paves an effective way to prepare high performance alloy based composite anode materials for high performance lithium-ion batteries.     

In situ synchrotron X-ray studies on copper-nickel 5 V Mn oxide spinel cathodes for Li-ion batteries

Partial substitution of Mn in lithium manganese oxide spinel materials by Cu and Ni greatly affects the electrochemistry and the cycle life characteristics of the cathode. Substitution with either metal or a combination of both metals in the spinel lattice structure reduces the 3.9-4.2 V potential plateaus associated with the conversion of Mn³⁺ to Mn⁴⁺. Higher potential plateau associated with oxidation of the substituted transition elements is also observed. These substituents also significantly alter the onset of Jahn-Teller distortions in the 3 V potential plateau. Synchrotron based in situ X-ray absorption (XAS) was used to determine the exact nature of the oxidation state changes in order to explain the overall observed capacities at different potential plateaus. The studies on LiCu_0.5Mn_1.5O₄ show single phase behavior in the 4-5 V potential region with a good cycle life. Lower cycle life characteristic observed in cycling LiNi_0.5Mn_1.5O₄ and LiNi_0.25Cu_0.25Mn_1.5O₄ versus Li metal are ascribed to coexistence of several phases in this potential region. However, LiCu_0.5Mn_1.5O₄ shows onset of Jahn-Teller distortions in the 3 V potential plateau, in contrast to LiNi_0.5Mn_1.5O₄ and LiNi_0.25Cu_0.25Mn_1.5O₄ cathode materials.     

Electrochemical properties of carbon-coated CaWO4 versus Li

Carbon-coated CaWO₄ nano-crystalline phases have been synthesized by ambient temperature solution precipitation method, characterized by X-ray diffraction, SEM and thermogravimetry and their electrochemical properties were studied versus Li metal. Galvanostatic cycling at a current of 60 mA/g in the voltage range 0.005-3.0 V on the 5 wt.% C-coated CaWO₄ gave a reversible capacity of 230 ± 5 mAh/g corresponding to 2.5 mol of Li, which is almost stable from 20 to 50 cycles. Under the same conditions, the 10 wt.% C-coated CaWO₄ showed a capacity of 355 ± 5 mAh/g (3.8 mol of Li) during the initial cycles, but the capacity degraded at a rate of 1.6 mAh/g per cycle in the range 5-100 cycles. A good operating voltage range was found to be 0.005-3.0 V with average discharge and charge potentials being 0.6 and 1.3 V, respectively. Coulombic efficiency in all cases was 96-98%. Cyclic voltammograms compliment the galvanostatic results. Impedance spectral data on the 10 wt.% C-coated CaWO₄ at different voltages during the first and 20th discharge-charge cycle have been interpreted in terms of the variations in the bulk and charge-transfer resistances of the composite electrode. A reaction mechanism involving the formation/decomposition of the oxide bronze, ‘Li_xWO_y’ has been proposed to explain the electrochemical cycling.     

Electroplating synthesis and electrochemical properties of macroporous Sn-Cu alloy electrode for lithium-ion batteries

Macroporous material of Sn-Cu alloy of different pore sizes designated as anode in lithium-ion batteries were fabricated through colloidal crystal template method. The structure and electrochemical properties of the macroporous Sn-Cu alloy electrodes were examined by using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and galvanostatic cycling. The results demonstrated that the electrodes of macroporous Sn-Cu alloy with pore size respectively of 180 and 500 nm can deliver reversible capacity of 350 and 270 mAh g⁻¹ up to 70th cycles of charge/discharge. The cycle performance of the macroporous Sn-Cu alloy of 180 nm in pore size is better than that of the macroporous Sn-Cu alloy with 500-nm-diameter pores. It has revealed that the porous structure of the macroporous Sn-Cu alloy material is of importance to strengthen mechanically the electrode and to reduce significantly the effect of volume expansion during cycling.     

Synthesis and electrochemical characterization of a new Se-doped spinel material for lithium secondary batteries

A new Se-doped spinel material, LiAl_0.18Se_0.02Mn_1.8O₄ powder with a phase-pure polycrystalline was synthesized by a sol–gel method. The material in the 3 V region (2.4 3.5 V) and both the 3 and 4 V region (2.4 4.4 V) initially deliver a discharge capacity of 81 and 178 mA h g^–1 which increase with cycling to reach 110 and 204 after 50 cycles, respectively. The material shows excellent cycleability in the 4 V region (3.0 4.4 V) with almost no capacity loss. The structural integrity of the Se-doped spinel was characterized by charge–discharge cycling tests and X-;ray diffraction.     

Binder effect on cycling performance of silicon/carbon composite anodes for lithium ion batteries

The cycling performance of a silicon/carbon composite anode has been significantly enhanced by using acrylic adhesive and modified acrylic adhesive as binder to fabricate the electrodes for lithium ion batteries. The capacity retentions of Si/C composite electrodes bound by acrylic adhesive and modified acrylic adhesive are 79% and 90% after 50 cycles, respectively. These two binders are electrochemically stable in the organic electrolyte in the working window. They also show larger adhesion strength between the coating and the Cu current collector as well as smaller solvent absorption in the electrolyte solvent than polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF). Furthermore, sodium carboxyl methyl cellulose (CMC) plays an important role on improving the properties of acrylic adhesive, which increases the adhesive strength of acrylic adhesive and improves the activation of the electrodes.