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Electrochemical Materials in Batteries

A special issue of Materials (ISSN 1996-1944). This special issue belongs to the section "Energy Materials".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 November 2021) | Viewed by 15181

Special Issue Editor

School of Pharmacy and Life Sciences, Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen AB107GJ, UK
Interests: nanomaterials; graphene and graphene-based compounds; energy storage devices; 2D materials; functional materials; sensors; environmental and pharmaceutical devices
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Over the last decade, the number of batteries has dramatically increased, and consumers worldwide use more than five billion batteries for mobile phones, cameras, laptops, and electric cars. Batteries are likely to remain the first choice for energy storage devices because of their advantages, which include high energy density, low maintenance, relatively low self-discharge, high working voltage, and low toxicity. It is expected that in the next few decades, electric cars will be replacing conventional diesel/petrol or hybrid cars, and while the batteries that are currently available for this and other purposes are relatively efficient, the effort to improve on the existing technology has intensified, as companies have recognised the vast potential that exists for battery applications in the automotive and portable consumer product industries, as well as in providing solutions for the storage of energy derived from sometimes remote renewable energy generation sources.

In general, batteries are composed of two electrodes, an anode, a cathode, and an electrolyte. Usually, carbon acts as the negative electrode, with a metal oxide serving as the positive electrode. Graphite is one of the most common materials used as a negative electrode. Finding a more reliable, durable, and low cost material for electrodes has been extremely challenging, but more recently, two-dimensional (2D) materials have become the preferred option because of their significantly improved mechanical and chemical properties.

Because of their unique structural and chemical properties, 2D materials such as graphene, carbides, nitrides, oxides, and chalcogenides have attracted this broader interest, which make them promising electrode materials for new-generation batteries.

This Special Issue will be collecting different reports on the materials to be used in the development of more powerful batteries. We believe that this collection will help to create a stimulating issue on electrochemical materials for battery applications.

Yours sincerely,

Dr. Carlos Fernandez
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • nanomaterials
  • graphene and graphene-based compounds
  • energy storage devices
  • electrolytes, 2D materials
  • functional materials
  • batteries

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

12 pages, 5599 KiB  
Article
Micron-Sized Monodisperse Particle LiNi0.6Co0.2Mn0.2O2 Derived by Oxalate Solvothermal Process Combined with Calcination as Cathode Material for Lithium-Ion Batteries
by Zhuo Chen, Fangya Guo and Youxiang Zhang
Materials 2021, 14(10), 2576; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ma14102576 - 15 May 2021
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2611
Abstract
Ni-rich cathode LiNixCoyMn1-x-yO2 (NCM, x ≥ 0.5) materials are promising cathodes for lithium-ion batteries due to their high energy density and low cost. However, several issues, such as their complex preparation and electrochemical instability have hindered [...] Read more.
Ni-rich cathode LiNixCoyMn1-x-yO2 (NCM, x ≥ 0.5) materials are promising cathodes for lithium-ion batteries due to their high energy density and low cost. However, several issues, such as their complex preparation and electrochemical instability have hindered their commercial application. Herein, a simple solvothermal method combined with calcination was employed to synthesize LiNi0.6Co0.2Mn0.2O2 with micron-sized monodisperse particles, and the influence of the sintering temperature on the structures, morphologies, and electrochemical properties was investigated. The material sintered at 800 °C formed micron-sized particles with monodisperse characteristics, and a well-order layered structure. When charged–discharged in the voltage range of 2.8–4.3 V, it delivered an initial discharge capacity of 175.5 mAh g−1 with a Coulombic efficiency of 80.3% at 0.1 C, and a superior discharge capacity of 135.4 mAh g−1 with a capacity retention of 84.4% after 100 cycles at 1 C. The reliable electrochemical performance is probably attributable to the micron-sized monodisperse particles, which ensured stable crystal structure and fewer side reactions. This work is expected to provide a facile approach to preparing monodisperse particles of different scales, and improve the performance of Ni-rich NCM or other cathode materials for lithium-ion batteries. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Electrochemical Materials in Batteries)
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10 pages, 6838 KiB  
Communication
3D Hierarchical Nanocrystalline CuS Cathode for Lithium Batteries
by Gulnur Kalimuldina, Arailym Nurpeissova, Assyl Adylkhanova, Nurbolat Issatayev, Desmond Adair and Zhumabay Bakenov
Materials 2021, 14(7), 1615; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ma14071615 - 26 Mar 2021
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2156
Abstract
Conductive and flexible CuS films with unique hierarchical nanocrystalline branches directly grown on three-dimensional (3D) porous Cu foam were fabricated using an easy and facile solution processing method without a binder and conductive agent for the first time. The synthesis procedure is quick [...] Read more.
Conductive and flexible CuS films with unique hierarchical nanocrystalline branches directly grown on three-dimensional (3D) porous Cu foam were fabricated using an easy and facile solution processing method without a binder and conductive agent for the first time. The synthesis procedure is quick and does not require complex routes. The structure and morphology of the as-deposited CuS/Cu films were characterized by X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and transmission electron spectroscopy, respectively. Pure crystalline hexagonal structured CuS without impurities were obtained for the most saturated S solution. Electrochemical testing of CuS/Cu foam electrodes showed a reasonable capacity of 450 mAh·g−1 at 0.1 C and excellent cyclability, which might be attributed to the unique 3D structure of the current collector and hierarchical nanocrystalline branches that provide fast diffusion and a large surface area. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Electrochemical Materials in Batteries)
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13 pages, 1835 KiB  
Article
High-Voltage Lithium-Ion Battery Using Substituted LiCoPO4: Electrochemical and Safety Performance of 1.2 Ah Pouch Cell
by Dongqiang Liu, Chisu Kim, Alexis Perea, Dubé Joël, Wen Zhu, Steve Collin-Martin, Amélie Forand, Martin Dontigny, Catherine Gagnon, Hendrix Demers, Samuel Delp, Jan Allen, Richard Jow and Karim Zaghib
Materials 2020, 13(19), 4450; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ma13194450 - 07 Oct 2020
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2954
Abstract
A LiCoPO4-based high-voltage lithium-ion battery was fabricated in the format of a 1.2 Ah pouch cell that exhibited a highly stable cycle life at a cut-off voltage of 4.9 V. The high-voltage stability was achieved using a Fe-Cr-Si multi-ion-substituted LiCoPO4 [...] Read more.
A LiCoPO4-based high-voltage lithium-ion battery was fabricated in the format of a 1.2 Ah pouch cell that exhibited a highly stable cycle life at a cut-off voltage of 4.9 V. The high-voltage stability was achieved using a Fe-Cr-Si multi-ion-substituted LiCoPO4 cathode and lithium bis(fluorosulfonyl)imide in 1-methyl-1-propylpyrrolidinium bis(fluorosulfony)imide as the electrolyte. Due to the improved electrochemical stability at high voltage, the cell exhibited a stable capacity retention of 91% after 290 cycles without any gas evolution related to electrolyte decomposition at high voltage. In addition to improved cycling stability, the nominal 5 V LiCoPO4 pouch cell also exhibited excellent safety performance during a nail penetration safety test compared with a state-of-the-art lithium ion battery. Meanwhile, the thermal stabilities of the 1.2 Ah pouch cell as well as the delithiated LiCoPO4 were also studied by accelerating rate calorimetry (ARC), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and in situ X-ray diffraction (XRD) analyses and reported. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Electrochemical Materials in Batteries)
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9 pages, 4075 KiB  
Article
Phase Transformation of Doped LiCoPO4 during Galvanostatic Cycling
by Wen Zhu, Dongqiang Liu, Catherine Gagnon, Vincent Gariépy, Michel L. Trudeau, Ashok Vijh and Karim Zaghib
Materials 2020, 13(17), 3810; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ma13173810 - 28 Aug 2020
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2285
Abstract
In situ X-ray diffraction was employed to investigate the crystal structure changes in Cr/Si co-doped Li(Co,Fe)PO4 cathode material during a galvanostatic charge/discharge process at a slow rate of C/30. The evolution of the X-ray patterns revealed that the phase transformation between the [...] Read more.
In situ X-ray diffraction was employed to investigate the crystal structure changes in Cr/Si co-doped Li(Co,Fe)PO4 cathode material during a galvanostatic charge/discharge process at a slow rate of C/30. The evolution of the X-ray patterns revealed that the phase transformation between the Cr/Si-Li(Co,Fe)PO4 and Cr/Si-(Co,Fe)PO4 is a two-step process, which involves the formation of an intermediate compound of Cr/Si-Li0.62(Co,Fe)PO4 upon the extraction of Li ions from the pristine phase. Different from the previously reported two biphasic transition steps, the phase transformation of the Cr/Si-Li(Co,Fe)PO4 followed a solid solution and a biphasic reaction pathway at different stages of the delithiation/lithiation process, respectively. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Electrochemical Materials in Batteries)
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12 pages, 3871 KiB  
Article
Cr2P2O7 as a Novel Anode Material for Sodium and Lithium Storage
by Shuo Wang, Tianyuan Zhu, Fei Chen, Xiang Ding, Qiao Hu, Jiaying Liao, Xiaodong He and Chunhua Chen
Materials 2020, 13(14), 3139; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ma13143139 - 14 Jul 2020
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1793
Abstract
The development of new appropriate anode material with low cost is still main issue for sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) and lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). Here, Cr2P2O7 with an in-situ formed carbon layer has been fabricated through a facile solid-state method [...] Read more.
The development of new appropriate anode material with low cost is still main issue for sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) and lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). Here, Cr2P2O7 with an in-situ formed carbon layer has been fabricated through a facile solid-state method and its storage performance in SIBs and LIBs has been reported first. The Cr2P2O7@C delivers 238 mA h g−1 and 717 mA h g−1 at 0.05 A g−1 in SIBs and LIBs, respectively. A capacity of 194 mA h g−1 is achieved in SIBs after 300 cycles at 0.1 A g−1 with a high capacity retention of 92.4%. When tested in LIBs, 351 mA h g−1 is maintained after 600 cycles at 0.1 A g−1. The carbon coating layer improves the conductivity and reduces the side reaction during the electrochemical process, and hence improves the rate performance and enhances the cyclic stability. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Electrochemical Materials in Batteries)
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22 pages, 8659 KiB  
Article
Effect of Ni Doping Content on Phase Transition and Electrochemical Performance of TiO2 Nanofibers Prepared by Electrospinning Applied for Lithium-Ion Battery Anodes
by Danning Kang, Jun Li and Yuyao Zhang
Materials 2020, 13(6), 1302; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ma13061302 - 13 Mar 2020
Cited by 15 | Viewed by 2525
Abstract
Titanium dioxide (TiO2), as a potential anode material applied for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), is constrained due to its poor theoretical specific capacity (335 mAh·g−1) and low conductivity (10−7-10−9 S·cm−1). When compared to TiO2 [...] Read more.
Titanium dioxide (TiO2), as a potential anode material applied for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), is constrained due to its poor theoretical specific capacity (335 mAh·g−1) and low conductivity (10−7-10−9 S·cm−1). When compared to TiO2, NiO with a higher theoretical specific capacity (718 mAh·g−1) is regarded as an alternative dopant for improving the specific capacity of TiO2. The present investigations usually assemble TiO2 and NiO with a simple bilayer structure and without NiO that is immersed into the inner of TiO2, which cannot fully take advantage of NiO. Therefore, a new strategy was put forward to utilize the synergistic effect of TiO2 and NiO, namely doping NiO into the inner of TiO2. NiO-TiO2 was fabricated into the nanofibers with a higher specific surface area to further improve their electrochemical performance due to the transportation path being greatly shortened. NiO-TiO2 nanofibers are expected to replace of the commercialized anode material (graphite). In this work, a facile one-step electrospinning method, followed by annealing, was applied to synthesize the Ni-doped TiO2 nanofibers. The Ni doping content was proven to be a crucial factor affecting phase constituents, which further determined the electrochemical performance. When the Ni doping content was less than 3 wt.%, the contents of anatase and NiO were both increased, while the rutile content was decreased in the nanofibers. When the Ni doping content exceeded 3 wt.%, the opposite changes were observed. Hence, the optimum Ni doping content was determined as 3 wt.%, at which the highest weight fractions of anatase and NiO were obtained. Correspondingly, the obtained electronic conductivity of 4.92 × 10−5 S⋅cm−1 was also the highest, which was approximately 1.7 times that of pristine TiO2. The optimal electrochemical performance was also obtained. The initial discharge and charge specific capacity was 576 and 264 mAh·g−1 at a current density of 100 mA·g−1. The capacity retention reached 48% after 100 cycles, and the coulombic efficiency was about 100%. The average discharge specific capacity was 48 mAh·g−1 at a current density of 1000 mA·g−1. Approximately 65.8% of the initial discharge specific capacity was retained when the current density was recovered to 40 mA·g−1. These excellent electrochemical results revealed that Ni-doped TiO2 nanofibers could be considered to be promising anode materials for LIBs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Electrochemical Materials in Batteries)
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