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LI-ION BATTERIES

Li gradients for Li-rich cathodes

Nature Energy volume 4, pages 1014–1015 (2019)Cite this article

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Developing high capacity yet stable cathodes is key to advancing Li-ion battery technologies. Now, a new metal oxide cathode that is rich in Li with a gradient in Li concentration is shown to be stable to O2 release leading to long cycle life and high capacity.

To address these challenges, researchers have utilized metal oxide coatings and surface treatments on the particles that make up the cathode5, but these have not adequately improved the cyclability and voltage fade. Writing in Nature Energy, Ju Li and co-workers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Brookhaven National Laboratory6 have reported cathode particles that have a stable gradient in Li concentration from Li rich in the core to Li poor in the shell, as illustrated in Fig. 1b. These cathodes are shown to largely eliminate the release of O2, to provide stable oxygen redox and to have good cyclability up to 200 charge/discharge cycles.

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Fig. 1: Schematics of Li-rich transition metal oxide cathode particles.

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  1. Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Light Source, Joint Center for Energy Storage Research, SLAC National Acceleratory Laboratory, Menlo Park, CA, USA

    Michael F Toney

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  1. Michael F Toney
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Correspondence to Michael F Toney.

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Toney, M.F. Li gradients for Li-rich cathodes. Nat Energy 4, 1014–1015 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41560-019-0522-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41560-019-0522-z

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