Difficulties, strategies, and recent research and development of layered sodium transition metal oxide cathode materials for high-energy sodium-ion batteries

Energy-storage systems and their production have attracted significant interest for practical applications.Batteries are the foundation of sustainable energy sources for electric vehicles(EVs),portable electronic devices(PEDs),etc.In recent decades,Lithium-ion batteries(LIBs) have been extensively utilized in largescale energy storage devices owing to their long cycle life and high energy density.However,the high cost and limited availability of Li are the two main obstacles for LIBs.In this regard,sodium-ion batteries(SIBs) are attractive alternatives to LIBs for large-scale energy storage systems because of the abundance and low cost of sodium materials.Cathode is one of the most important components in the battery,which limits cost and performance of a battery.Among the classified cathode structures,layered structure materials have attracted attention because of their high ionic conductivity,fast diffusion rate,and high specific capacity.Here,we present a comprehensive review of the classification of layered structures and the preparation of layered materials.Furthermore,the review article discusses extensively about the issues of the layered materials,namely(1) electrochemical degradation,(2) irreversible structural changes,and(3) structural instability,and also it provides strategies to overcome the issues such as elemental phase composition,a small amount of elemental doping,structural design,and surface alteration for emerging SIBs.In addition,the article discusses about the recent research development on layered unary,binary,ternary,quaternary,quinary,and senary-based O3-and P2-type cathode materials for high-energy SIBs.This review article provides useful information for the development of high-energy layered sodium transition metal oxide P2 and O3-cathode materials for practical SIBs.

Research on Preparation and Electrochemical Performance of the High Compacted Density Ni-Co-Mn Ternary Cathode Materials

The high compacted density LiNi0.5-xCo0.2Mn0.3MgxO2 cathode material for lithium-ion batteries was synthesized by high temperature solid-state method, taking the Mg element as a doping element and the spherical Ni0.5Co0.2Mn0.3 (OH)2, Li2CO3 as raw materials. The effects of calcination temperature on the structure and properties of the products were investigated. The structure and morphology of cathode materials powder were analyzed by X-ray diffraction spectroscopy (XRD) and scanning electronmicroscopy (SEM). The electrochemical properties of the cathode materials were studied by charge-discharge test and cyclic properties test. The results show that LiNi0.4985Co0.2Mn0.3 Mg0.0015O2 cathode material prepared at calcination temperature 930°C has a good layered structure, and the compacted density of the electrode sheet is above 3.68 g/cm3. The discharge capacity retention rate is more than 97.5% after 100 cycles at a charge-discharge rate of 1C, displaying a good cyclic performance.

Perspectives in Electrochemical in situ Structural Reconstruction of Cathode Materials for Multivalent-ion Storage

Multivalent-ion(such as Zn^(2+),Mg^(2+),Al^(3+))batteries are considered as a prospective alternative for large-scale energy storage.However,the main problem of cathode materials for multivalent-ion batteries is the sluggish diffusion of multivalent ions.Many cathode materials will self-adjust under electrochemical conditions to achieve the optimal state for multivalent-ion storage.In this review,the significant role of electrochemical in situ structural reconstruction of cathode materials is suggested.The types,basic characteristics,and formation mechanisms of reconstructed phases have been systematically discussed and commented.The most important insight we pointed out is that the cathode materials with loose structures after in situ electrochemical activation are conducive to the reversible diffusion of multivalent ions.Moreover,several crucial issues of electrochemical activation and reconstruction were further analyzed and discussed.The challenges and future perspectives are presented in the final section.

Regeneration of spent LiFePO4 as a high-performance cathode material by a simultaneous coating and doping strategy

With the number of decommissioned electric vehicles increasing annually,a large amount of discarded power battery cathode material is in urgent need of treatment.However,common leaching methods for recovering metal salts are economically inefficient and polluting.Meanwhile,the recycled material obtained by lithium remediation alone has limited performance in cycling stability.Herein,a short method of solid-phase reduction is developed to recover spent LiFePO4 by simultaneously introducing Mg2+ions for hetero-atom doping.Issues of particle agglomeration,carbon layer breakage,lithium loss,and Fe3+defects in spent LiFePO4 are also addressed.Results show that Mg2+addition during regeneration can remarkably enhance the crystal structure stability and improve the Li+diffusion coefficient.The regenerated LiFePO4 exhibits significantly improved electrochemical performance with a specific discharge capacity of 143.2 mAh·g^(−1)at 0.2 C,and its capacity retention is extremely increased from 37.9%to 98.5%over 200 cycles at 1 C.Especially,its discharge capacity can reach 95.5 mAh·g^(−1)at 10 C,which is higher than that of spent LiFePO4(55.9 mAh·g^(−1)).All these results show that the proposed regeneration strategy of simultaneous carbon coating and Mg2+doping is suitable for the efficient treatment of spent LiFePO4.

Low-temperatures synthesis of CuS nanospheres as cathode material for magnesium second batteries

Rechargeable magnesium batteries(RMBs),as one of the most promising candidates for efficient energy storage devices with high energy,power density and high safety,have attracted increasing attention.However,searching for suitable cathode materials with fast diffusion kinetics and exploring their magnesium storage mechanisms remains a great challenge.Cu S submicron spheres,made by a facile low-temperature synthesis strategy,were applied as the high-performance cathode for RMBs in this work,which can deliver a high specific capacity of 396mAh g^(-1)at 20 mA g^(-1) and a remarkable rate capacity of 250 m Ah g^(-1)at 1000 mA g^(-1).The excellent rate performance can be assigned to the nano needle-like particles on the surface of Cu S submicron spheres,which can facilitate the diffusion kinetics of Mg^(2+).Further storage mechanism investigations illustrate that the Cu S cathodes experience a two-step conversion reaction controlled by diffusion during the electrochemical reaction process.This work could make a contribution to the study of the enhancement of diffusion kinetics of Mg2+and the reaction mechanism of RMBs.

Selenium-doped cathode materials with polyaniline skeleton for lithium-organosulfur batteries

Sulfur-containing polymer(SCP)is considered as an outstanding cathode material for lithium-sulfur batteries.However,undesirable soluble polysulfides may shuttle in electrolyte,concluding long-chain Li_(2)S_(n)(n>4)and short-chain Li2Sn(n≤4),as well as the sluggish conversion kinetics are yet to be solved to enhance the performance of lithium-sulfur batteries.Here Se-doped sulfurized polyaniline with adjusted sulfur-chain-S_(x)-(x≤6)contribute to ensure the absence of long-chain polysulfides,and the skeleton with quinoid imine can endow strongly adsorption towards short-chain polysulfides by the reversible transition between deprotonated/protonated imine(-NH^(+)=and-N=),which offer double insurance against suppressing“shuttle effect”.Furthermore,Se atoms are doped into sulfurized polysulfides to accelerate the redox conversion and take a frontier orbital theory-oriented view into catalytic mechanism.Se-doped sulfurized polyaniline as active materials for lithium-organosulfur batteries delivers good electrochemical performance,including high rate,reversible specific capacity(680 mA h g^(-1)at 0.1 A g^(-1)),and lower capacity decay rate only of 0.15%with near 100%coulomb efficiency during long-term cycle.This work provides a valuable guiding ideology and promising solution for the chemistry-oriented structure design and practical application for lithium-organosulfur batteries.

Defective layered Mn-based cathode materials with excellent performance via ion exchange for Li-ion batteries

Defective layered Mn-based materials were synthesized by Li/Na ion exchange to improve their electrochemical activity and Coulombic efficiency.The annealing temperature of the Na precursors was important to control the P3-P2 phase transition,which directly affected the structure and electrochemical characteristics of the final products obtained by ion exchange.The O3-Li_(0.78)[Li_(0.25)Fe_(0.075)Mn_(0.675)]O_(δ) cathode made from a P3-type precursor calcined at 700℃ was analyzed using X-ray photoelectron spectrometry and electron paramagnetic resonance.The results showed that the presence of abundant trivalent manganese and defects resulted in a discharge capacity of 230 mAh/g with an initial Coulombic efficiency of about 109%.Afterward,galvanostatic intermittent titration was performed to examine the Li^(+) ion diffusion coefficients,which affected the reversible capacity.First principles calculations suggested that the charge redistribution induced by oxygen vacancies(OV_(s))greatly affected the local Mn coordination environment and enhanced the structural activity.Moreover,the Li-deficient cathode was a perfect match for the pre-lithiation anode,providing a novel approach to improve the initial Coulombic efficiency and activity of Mn-based materials in the commercial application.

Enhanced Electrochemical Performances of Ni Doped Cr_(8)O_(21)Cathode Materials for Lithium-ion Batteries

Cathode materials,nickel doped Cr_(8)O_(21),were synthesized by a solid-state method.The effects of Ni doping on the electrochemical performances of Cr_(8)O_(21) were investigated.The experimental results show that the discharge capacities of the samples depend on the nickel contents,which increases firstly and then decreases with increasing Ni contents.Optimized Ni_(0.5)Cr_(7.5)O_(21)delivers a first capacity up to 392.6 m Ah·g^(-1)at 0.1C.In addition,Ni doped sample also demonstrates enhanced cycling stability and rate capability compared with that of the bare Cr_(8)O_(21).At 1 C,an initial discharge capacity of 348.7 m Ah·g^(-1)was achieved for Ni_(0.5)Cr_(7.5)O_(21),much higher than 271.4 m Ah·g^(-1)of the un-doped sample,with an increase of more than 28%.Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy results confirm that Ni doping reduces the growth of interface resistance and charge transfer resistance,which is conducive to the electrochemical kinetic behaviors during charge-discharge.

Organic cathode materials for rechargeable magnesium-ion batteries:Fundamentals, recent advances, and approaches to optimization

Rechargeable magnesium-ion batteries(MIBs) are favorable substitutes for conventional lithium-ion batteries(LIBs) because of abundant magnesium reserves, a high theoretical energy density, and great inherent safety. Organic electrode materials with excellent structural tunability,unique coordination reaction mechanisms, and environmental friendliness offer great potential to promote the electrochemical performance of MIBs. However, research on organic magnesium battery cathode materials is still preliminary with many significant challenges to be resolved including low electrical conductivity and unwanted but severe dissolution in useful electrolytes. Herein, we provide a detailed overview of reported organic cathode materials for MIBs. We begin with basic properties such as charge storage mechanisms(e.g., n-, p-, and bipolartype), moving to recent advances in various types of organic cathodes including carbonyl-, nitrogen-, and sulfur-based materials. To shed light on the diverse strategies targeting high-performance Mg-organic batteries, elaborate summaries of various approaches are presented.Generally, these strategies include molecular design, polymerization, mixing with carbon, nanosizing and electrolyte/separator optimization.This review provides insights on exploring high-performance organic cathodes in rechargeable MIBs.

CoSnO_(3)/C nanocubes with oxygen vacancy as high-capacity cathode materials for rechargeable aluminum batteries

Rechargeable aluminum batteries(RABs)are attractive cadidates for next-generation energy storage and conversion,due to the low cost and high safety of Al resources,and high capacity of metal Al based on the three-electrons reaction mechanism.However,the development of RABs is greatly limited,because of the lack of advanced cathode materials,and their complicated and unclear reaction mechanisms.Exploring the novel nanostructured transition metal and carbon composites is an effective route for obtaining ideal cathode materials.In this work,we synthesize porous CoSnO_(3)/C nanocubes with oxygen vacancies for utilizing as cathodes in RABs for the first time.The intrinsic structure stability of the mixed metal cations and carbon coating can improve the cycling performance of cathodes by regulating the internal strains of the electrodes during volume expansion.The nanocubes with porous structures contribute to fast mass transportation which improves the rate capability.In addition to this,abundant oxygen vacancies promote the adsorption affinity of cathodes,which improves storage capacity.As a result,the CoSnO_(3)/C cathodes display an excellent reversible capacity of 292.1 mAh g^(-1) at 0.1 A g^(-1),a good rate performance with 109 mAh g^(-1) that is maintained even at 1 A g^(-1) and the provided stable cycling behavior for 500 cycles.Besides,a mechanism of intercalation of Al^(3+)within CoSnO_(3)/C cathode is proposed for the electrochemical process.Overall,this work provides a step toward the development of advanced cathode materials for RABs by engineering novel nanostructured mixed transition-metal oxides with carbon composite and proposes novel insights into chemistry for RABs.

Research on cathode material of Li-ion battery by yttrium doping

Modification of LiFePO4, LiMn2O4 and Li1＋xV3O8 by doping yttrium was investigated. The influences of doping Y on structure, morphology and electrochemical performance of cathode materials were investigated systematically. The results indicated that the mechanisms of Y doping in three cathode materials were different, so the influences on the material performance were different. The crystal structure of the three materials was not changed by Y doping. However, the crystal parameters were influenced. The crystal parameters of LiMn2O4 became smaller, and the interlayer distance of （100） crystal plane of Li1-xV3O8 was lengthened after Y doping. The grain size of Y-doped LiFePO4 became smaller and grain morphology became more regular than that of undoped LiFePO4. It indicated that Y doping had no influence on crystal particle and morphology of LiMn2O4. The morphology of Li1＋xV3O8 became irregular and its size became larger with the increase of Y. For LiFePOaand Li1＋xV3O8, both the initial discharge capacities and the cyclic performance were improved by Y doping. For LiMn2O4, the cyclic performance became better and the initial discharge capacities declined with increasing Y doping.

Overcharge-to-thermal-runaway behavior and safety assessment of commercial lithium-ion cells with different cathode materials:A comparison study

In this paper,overcharge behaviors and thermal runaway(TR)features of large format lithium-ion(Liion)cells with different cathode materials(LiFePO4(LFP),Li[Ni_(1/3)Co_(1/3)Mn_(1/3)]O_(2)(NCM111),Li[Ni_(0.6)Co_(0.2)Mn_(0.2)]O_(2)(NCM622)and Li[Ni_(0.8)Co_(0.1)Mn_(0.1)]O_(2)(NCM811))were investigated.The results showed that,under the same overcharge condition,the TR of LFP Li-ion cell occurred earlier compared with the NCM Li-ion cells,indicating its poor overcharge tolerance and high TR risk.However,when TR occurred,LFP Li-ion cell exhibited lower maximum temperature and mild TR response.All NCM Liion cells caught fire or exploded during TR,while the LFP Li-ion cell only released a large amount of smoke without fire.According to the overcharge behaviors and TR features,a safety assessment score system was proposed to evaluate the safety of the cells.In short,NCM Li-ion cells have better performance in energy density and overcharge tolerance(or low TR risk),while LFP Li-ion cell showed less severe response to overcharging(or less TR hazards).For NCM Li-ion cells,as the ratio of nickel in cathode material increases,the thermal stability of the cathode materials becomes poorer,and the TR hazards increase.Such a comparison study on large format Li-ion cells with different cathode materials can provide deeper insights into the overcharge behaviors and TR features,and provide guidance for engineers to reasonably choose battery materials in automotive applications.

Microwave synthesis of Li_2FeSiO_4 cathode materials for lithium-ion batteries

A novel synthetic method of microwave processing to prepare Li2FeSiO4 cathode materials is adopted. The Li2FeSiO4 cathode material is prepared by mechanical ball-milling and subsequent microwave processing. Olivin-type Li2FeSiO4 sample with uniform and fine particle sizes is successfully and fast synthesized by microwave heating at 700 ℃ in 12 rain. And the obtained Li2FeSiO4 materials show better electrochemical performance and microstructure than those of Li2FeSiO4 sample by the conventional solidstate reaction. ？2009 Yan Bing Cao. Published by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of Chinese Chemical Society. All rights reserved.

Preparation and electrochemical properties of Y-doped Li_3V_2(PO_4)_3 cathode materials for lithium batteries

Y-doped Li3V2（PO4）3 cathode materials were prepared by a carbothermal reduction（CTR） process.The properties of the Y-doped Li3V2（PO4）3 were investigated by X-ray diffraction（XRD） and electrochemical measurements.XRD studies showed that the Y-doped Li3V2（PO4）3 had the same monoclinic structure as the undoped Li3V2（PO4）3.The Y-doped Li3V2（PO4）3 samples were investigated on the Li extraction/insertion performances through charge/discharge, cyclic voltammogram（CV）, and electrochemical impedance spectra（EIS）.The optimal doping content of Y was x=0.03 in Li3V2-xYx（PO4）3 system.The Y-doped Li3V2（PO4）3 samples showed a better cyclic ability.The electrode reaction reversibility was enhanced, and the charge transfer resistance was decreased through the Y-doping.The improved electrochemical perormances of the Y-doped Li3V2（PO4）3 cathode materials were attributed to the addition of Y3＋ ion by stabilizing the monoclinic structure.

Electrochemical performance of sulfur composite cathode materials for rechargeable lithium batteries

The structure and characteristic of carbon materials have a direct influence on the electrochemical performance of sulfur-carbon composite electrode materials for lithium-sulfur battery. In this paper, sulfur composite has been synthesized by heating a mixture of elemental sulfur and activated carbon, which is characterized as high specific surface area and microporous structure. The composite, contained 70% sulfur, as cathode in a lithium cell based on organic liquid electrolyte was tested at room temperature. It showed two reduction peaks at 2.05 V and 2.35 V, one oxidation peak at 2.4 V during cyclic voltammogram test. The initial discharge specific capacity was 1180.8 mAh g-1 and the utilization of electrochemically active sulfur was about 70.6% assuming a complete reaction to the product of Li2S. The specific capacity still kept as high as 720.4 mAh g^-1 after 60 cycles retaining 61% of the initial discharge capacity.

A closed-loop process for recycling LiNi_xCo_yMn_((1-x-y))O_2 from mixed cathode materials of lithium-ion batteries

With the rapid development of consumer electronics and electric vehicles(EV), a large number of spent lithium-ion batteries(LIBs) have been generated worldwide. Thus, effective recycling technologies to recapture a significant amount of valuable metals contained in spent LIBs are highly desirable to prevent the environmental pollution and resource depletion. In this work, a novel recycling technology to regenerate a LiNi_(1/3)Co_(1/3)Mn_(1/3)O_2 cathode material from spent LIBs with different cathode chemistries has been developed. By dismantling, crushing,leaching and impurity removing, the LiNi_(1/3)Co_(1/3)Mn_(1/3)O_2(selected as an example of LiNi_xCo_yMn_(1-x-y)O_2) powder can be directly prepared from the purified leaching solution via co-precipitation followed by solid-state synthesis. For comparison purposes, a fresh-synthesized sample with the same composition has also been prepared using the commercial raw materials via the same method. X-ray diffraction(XRD), scanning electron microscopy(SEM) and electrochemical measurements have been carried out to characterize these samples. The electrochemical test result suggests that the re-synthesized sample delivers cycle performance and low rate capability which are comparable to those of the freshsynthesized sample. This novel recycling technique can be of great value to the regeneration of a pure and marketable LiNi_xCo_yMn_(1-x-y)O_2 cathode material with low secondary pollution.

Rare Earth Elements-Doped LiCoO_2 Cathode Material for Lithium-Ion Batteries

Some compounds of LiCo 1- x RE x O 2 (RE=rare earth elements and x =0.01～0.03) were prepared by doping rare earth elements to LiCoO 2 via solid state synthesis. The microstructure characteristics of the LiCo 1- x RE x O 2 were investigated by XRD. It was found that the lattice parameters c are increased and the lattice volumes are enlarged compared to that of LiCoO 2. Moreover, the performance of LiCo 1- x RE x O 2 as the cathode material in lithium ion battery is improved, especially LiCo 1- x Y x O 2 and LiCo 1- x La x O 2. The initial charge/discharge capacities of LiCo 0.99 Y 0.01 O 2 and LiCo 0.99 La 0.01 O 2 are 174/154 (mAh·g -1 ) and 159/149 (mAh·g -1 ) respectively, while those for LiCoO 2 working in the same way are only 139/131 (mAh·g -1 ).

Influence of Doping Rare Earth on Performance of Lithium Manganese Oxide Spinels as Cathode Materials for Lithium-Ion Batteries

Some rare earth doping spinel LiMn_(2-x)RE_xO_4 (RE=La, Ce, Nd) cathode materials for lithium ion batteries were synthesized by the solid-state reaction method. The structure characteristics of these produced samples were investigated by XRD, SEM, and particle size distribution analysis. According to the microstructure and charge-discharge testing, the effect of doping rare earth on stabilizing the spinel structure was analyzed. Through a series of doping experiments, it is shown that when the doping content x within the range of 0.01～0.02 the cycle performance of the materials is greatly improved. The discharge capacity of the sample LiMn_(1.98)La_(0.02)O_4, LiMn_(1.98)Ce_(0.02)O_4 and LiMn_(1.98)Nd_(0.02)O_4 remain 119.1, 114.2 and 117.5 mAh·g^(-1) after 50 cycles.

Synthesis and electrochemical properties of Al-doped LiVPO_4F cathode materials for lithium-ion batteries

Al-doped LiVPO4F cathode materials LiAlxV1-xPO4F were prepared by two-step reactions based on a car-bothermal reduction （CTR） process. The properties of the Al-doped LiVPO4F were investigated by X-ray diffraction （XRD）,scanning electron microscopy （SEM）,and electrochemical measurements. XRD studies show that the Al-doped LiVPO4F has the same triclinic structure （space group p-↑1 ） as the undoped LiVPO4F. The SEM images exhibit that the particle size of Al-doped LiVPO4F is smaller than that of the undoped LiVPO4F and that the smallest particle size is only about 1 μm. The Al-doped LiVPO4F was evaluated as a cathode material for secondary lithium batteries,and exhibited an improved reversibility and cycleability,which may be attributed to the addition of Al^3＋ ion by stabilizing the triclinic structure.

Synthesis of LiFePO_4 /C as cathode material by a novel optimized hydrothermal method

Olivine LiFePO 4 , as a cathode material for lithium ion batteries, was prepared by a novel optimized hydrothermal method; afterwards, the product mixed with glucose was two-step （350℃ and 700℃） calcinated under high-purity N 2 atmosphere to obtain the LiFePO 4 /C composite. The study on the hydrothermal preparation method, which focused on the influences of molar ratios, initial pH value, reaction temperature, and duration, was made to promote the resultant performances and to investigate the relations between the performances and the reaction conditions. The resultant samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction （XRD）, scanning electron microscopy （SEM）, and electrochemical tests, which include charge-discharge, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, and cyclic voltammetry. The result shows that the optimal hydrothermal condition is to set the Li：Fe：P molar ratio at 3：1：1 and the reaction temperature at 180℃ for 5 h duration with an initial pH value of 7. The optimized sample, with an average particle size of 100 to 300 nm and a discharge capacity of 118.2 mAh·g-1 at 0.1C, exhibits a stable and narrow-gapped charge-discharge platform and small capacity losses after cycles.