Ab Initio Design of Ni-Rich Cathode Material with Assistance of Machine Learning for High Energy Lithium-Ion Batteries

With the widespread use of lithium-ion batteries in electric vehicles,energy storage,and mobile terminals,there is an urgent need to develop cathode materials with specific properties.However,existing material control synthesis routes based on repetitive experiments are often costly and inefficient,which is unsuitable for the broader application of novel materials.The development of machine learning and its combination with materials design offers a potential pathway for optimizing materials.Here,we present a design synthesis paradigm for developing high energy Ni-rich cathodes with thermal/kinetic simulation and propose a coupled image-morphology machine learning model.The paradigm can accurately predict the reaction conditions required for synthesizing cathode precursors with specific morphologies,helping to shorten the experimental duration and costs.After the model-guided design synthesis,cathode materials with different morphological characteristics can be obtained,and the best shows a high discharge capacity of 206 mAh g^(−1)at 0.1C and 83%capacity retention after 200 cycles.This work provides guidance for designing cathode materials for lithium-ion batteries,which may point the way to a fast and cost-effective direction for controlling the morphology of all types of particles.

Novel polyimide binder for achieving high-rate capability and long-term cycling stability of LiNi_(0.8)Co_(0.1)Mn_(0.1)O_(2) cathode via constructing polar and micro-branched crosslinking network structure

LiNi_(0.8)Co_(0.1)Mn_(0.1)O_(2)(NCM811)material,as the promising cathode candidate for next-generation highenergy lithium-ion batteries,has gained considerable attention for extremely high theoretical capacity and low cost.Nevertheless,the intrinsic drawbacks of NCM811 such as unstable structure and inevitable interface side reaction result in severe capacity decay and thermal runaway.Herein,a novel polyimide(denoted as PI-Om DT)constructed with the highly polar and micro-branched crosslinking network is reported as a binder material for NCM811 cathode.The micro-branched crosslinking network is achieved by using 1,3,5-Tris(4-aminophenoxy)benzene(TAPOB)as a crosslinker via condensation reaction,which endows excellent mechanical properties and large free volume.Meanwhile,the massive polar carboxyl(-COOH)groups provide strong adhesion sites to active NCM811 particles.These functions of PIOm DT binder collaboratively benefit to forming the mechanically robust and homogeneous coating layer with rapid Li+diffusion on the surface of NCM811,significantly stabilizing the cathode structure,suppressing the detrimental interface side reaction and guaranteeing the shorter ion-diffusion and electron-transfer paths,consequently enhancing electrochemical performance.As compared to the NCM811 with PVDF binder,the NCM811 using PI-Om DT binder delivers a superior high-rate capacity(121.07 vs.145.38 m Ah g^(-1))at 5 C rate and maintains a higher capacity retention(80.38%vs.91.6%)after100 cycles at 2.5–4.3 V.Particularly,at the high-voltage conditions up to 4.5 and 4.7 V,the NCM811 with PI-Om DT binder still maintains the remarkable capacity retention of 88.86%and 72.5%after 100 cycles,respectively,paving the way for addressing the high-voltage operating stability of the NCM811 cathode.Moreover,the full-charged NCM811 cathode with PI-Om DT binder exhibits a significantly enhanced thermal stability,improving the safety performance of batteries.This work opens a new avenue for developing high-energy NCM811 based lithium-ion batteries with long cycle-life and superior safety performance using a novel and effective binder.

Insight into the Electrochemical Behaviors of NCM811|SiO-Gr Pouch Battery through Thickness Variation

LiNi0.8Co0.1Mn0.1O2(NCM811)|SiOx-graphite(SiO-Gr.)battery chemistry is of intensive attention because its achievable practical energy density is approaching impressively 300 Wh Kg^(-1).However,it still suffers rapid capacity fades during repeated cycles,both chemical,electrochemical and mechanical irreversibility contribute.A comprehensive understanding behind the fading behavior of the cell chemistry is required before fully realize the benefits of this chemistry.Herein,the in-situ thickness variation is introduced as a diagnostic technique and is performed on 5-55 Ah NCM811|SiO-Gr cells.With the help of Li reference electrode and in-situ X-ray diffraction device,the correspondence between thickness variation and the electrode potential is carefully investigated.Firstly,the NCM811|SiO-Gr cell is characterized with the maximum cell thickness at around 80%state-of-charge(SOC)in the discharge process,rather than at 100%SOC.Secondly,the electrochemical behaviors during rate charge/discharge are diagnosed,and a Li platting signal is resolved from thickness variation profile at 2C.This work confirms that the thickness monitoring is a nondestructive and informative complement to conventional diagnostic techniques for failure analysis of pouch cells.

Understanding and quantifying capacity loss in storage aging of Ah-level Li metal pouch cells

Promoting industry applications of high-energy Li metal batteries(LMBs)is of vital importance for accelerating the electrification and decarbonization of our society.Unfortunately,the time-dependent storage aging of Ah-level Li metal pouch cells,a ubiquitous but crucial practical indicator,has not yet been revealed.Herein,we first report the storage behaviors and multilateral synergistic aging mechanism of Ah-level NCM811jjLi pouch cells during the 120-day long-term storage under various conditions.Contrary to the conventional belief of Li-ion batteries with graphite intercalation anodes,the significant available capacity loss of 32.8%on average originates from the major electrolyte-sensitive anode corrosion and partial superimposed cathode degradation,and the irreversible capacity loss of 13.3%is essentially attributed to the unrecoverable interface/structure deterioration of NCM with further hindrance of the aged Li.Moreover,principles of alleviating aging have been proposed.This work bridges academia and industry and enriches the fundamental epistemology of storage aging of LMBs,shedding light on realistic applications of high-energy batteries.

The interplay between (electro)chemical and (chemo)mechanical effects in the cycling performance of thiophosphate-based solid-state batteries

Solid-state batteries(SSBs)are a promising next step in electrochemical energy storage but are plagued by a number of problems.In this study,we demonstrate the recurring issue of mechanical degradation because of volume changes in layered Ni-rich oxide cathode materials in thiophosphate-based SSBs.Specifically,we explore superionic solid electrolytes(SEs)of different crystallinity,namely glassy 1.5Li_(2)S-0.5P_(2)S_(5)-LiI and argyrodite Li_(6)PS_(5)Cl,with emphasis on how they affect the cyclability of slurry-cast cathodes with NCM622(60%Ni)or NCM851005(85%Ni).The application of a combination of ex situ and in situ analytical techniques helped to reveal the benefits of using a SE with a low Young’s modulus.Through a synergistic interplay of(electro)chemical and(chemo)mechanical effects,the glassy SE employed in this work was able to achieve robust and stable interfaces,enabling intimate contact with the cathode material while at the same time mitigating volume changes.Our results emphasize the importance of considering chemical,electrochemical,and mechanical properties to realize long-term cycling performance in high-loading SSBs.