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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 1,477 records · Page 82
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2019

Polyanthraquinone-based organic cathode for high-performance rechargeable magnesium-ion batteries

A rechargeable magnesium ion electrochemical cell comprising an anode, a cathode, and a non-aqueous magnesium electrolyte disposed between the anode and the cathode is described herein. The cathode comprises a redox-active anthraquinone-based polymer comprising one or more of 1,4-polyanthraquinone or 2,6-polyanthraquinone. Both 2,6-polyanthraquinone and 1,4-polyanthraquinone can operate with 1.5-2.0 V with above 100 mAh/g capacities at a reasonable rate, higher than the state-of-the-art Mg—Mg6S8 battery. More than 1000 cycles with very small capacity loss can be realized.

Liao, Chen↗
DOE OSTI2019

Ultrastable cathodes for lithium sulfur batteries

A cathode for a lithium-sulfur battery includes a copper-containing current collector, over which an active material layer is disposed. A method of producing the cathode is provided. A lithium-sulfur battery including the cathode provides improved capacity and cycleability.

Elam, Jeffrey W.↗
DOE OSTI2020

Dual conductor surface modified SOFC cathode particles and methods of making same

A novel method to produce ALD films disposed on powders is disclosed. Examples include the formation of a cobalt doped zirconia (CDZ), hafnia, and cobalt doped hafnia (CDH) films on lanthanum strontium cobalt iron oxide (LSCF) powder for solid oxide fuel cell cathodes. The coated powders are sintered into porous cathodes that have utility for preventing the migration of cations in the powder to the surface of the sintered cathode and/or other performance enhancing attributes.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2021

Li-substituted layered spinel cathode materials for sodium ion batteries

Systems, methods, and compositions are disclosed for a Li-substituted layered-tunneled O3/spinel Na(NixFeyMnz)O2 cathode material, Na0.87Li0.25Ni0.4Fe0.2Mn0.4O2+∂ (LS-NFM) for enhanced sodium ion storage and cycling stability. The LS-NFM electrode is prepared by adjusting the stoichiometric ratio of the Na ion over the sum of Li and transition metal ions below 1. The Rietveld refinement of XRD data indicates that the cathode is composed of 94% layered and 6% spinel components. When cycled at a high current density of 100 mA g−1, LS-NFM cathode exhibited a first-cycle Coulombic efficiency of 88% and reversible discharge capacity of 107 mAh g−1 after 50 cycles with the capacity retention of 95%.

Xiong, Hui↗
DOE OSTI2022

Next-Generation Cobalt-Free Cathodes – A Prospective Solution to the Battery Industry's Cobalt Problem*

Lithium-ion batteries are over-reliant on cobalt-containing cathodes. Current projections estimate hundreds of millions of electric vehicles (EVs) will be on the road by 2050, and this ever-growing demand threatens to deplete global cobalt reserves at an alarming rate. Moreover, cobalt supply-chain issues have significantly increased cobalt prices throughout the last decade. As such, energy storage research and development need to reduce reliance on cobalt to meet ever-growing demands for lithium-ion batteries. This chapter summarizes the science/technology gaps and potential of numerous cobalt-free Li-ion cathodes, including layered, spinel, olivine, and disordered rocksalt systems. Despite the promising performance of these Co-free cathodes, scale-up and manufacturing bottlenecks associated with these materials must also be addressed to enable widespread adoption in commercial batteries. Overall, this review broadly highlights the enormous promise of “zero-cobalt” Li-ion batteries to enable sustainable production of EVs in the coming decades.

Muralidharan, Nitin↗
DOE OSTI2022

Stabilized birnessite cathode for high power and high energy density applications

A battery comprises a housing, an electrolyte disposed in the housing, an anode disposed in the housing, a stabilized cathode disposed in the housing and comprising a cathode material. The cathode material comprises a composition selected from birnessite or layered-polymorph of manganese dioxide (δ-MnO2), the composition being stabilized by bismuth and copper ions, a conductive carbon, and a binder. The anode can be at least 50% (m/m) lithium, magnesium, aluminum, or zinc.

Yadav, Gautam G.↗
DOE OSTI2022

Carbon dioxide treatment of cathodes

A method for producing water resistant cathodes is discussed. The method uses mixing cathode powder with solid carbon dioxide to create a mixture and heating the mixture to a temperature. The heating occurs for a time sufficient to cause lithium carbonate coatings to form on the powder. A method for coating lithium-containing cathode surfaces is also discussed. This method uses simultaneously sublimating solid CO 2 and condensing atmospheric water vapor onto surfaces. Afterwards allowing the lithium to react with the sublimated CO 2 for a time sufficient to create a lithium carbonate film on the surface.

Kahvecioglu, Ozgenur↗
DOE OSTI2023

Coatings for cathode active materials

A cathode active material includes a plurality of cathode active compound particles and a coating disposed over each of the cathode active compound particles. The coating includes a lithium (Li)-ion conducting oxide containing lanthanum (La) and titanium (Ti).

Wu, Huiming↗
DOE OSTI2023

Demarcating the Impact of Electrolytes on High–Nickel Cathodes and Lithium–Metal Anode

The ever-growing demand for low-cost, high-energy-density lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) makes high-nickel layered oxide cathodes, especially LiNiO 2 (LNO), one of the most appealing candidates. However, poor structural and surface instability that leads to a short cycle life remains a formidable challenge. Herein, a systematic investigation of LNO performance in two different electrolytes (a conventional carbonate-based LP57 electrolyte and an ether-based localized high-concentration electrolyte (LHCE)) with different charge cut-off voltages is presented. These findings show that the cathode-electrolyte reactivity is the main factor dictating the performance degradation of LNO at high voltages rather than bulk integrity. While LHCE can provide good stability beyond 4.2 V with a robust, uniform solid–electrolyte interphase (SEI) layer on the Li-metal anode, there is no significant difference in cyclability at 4.15 V (96% capacity retention after 200 cycles) for both LP57 and LHCE. From LNO symmetric cells, carbonate-based electrolyte is found to be good for LNO stability while ether-based electrolyte is beneficial toward Li-metal anode. Furthermore, a suitable electrolyte or a low cut-off voltage is necessary to maintain a decent cycle life. Altogether, this work highlights the impact of electrolyte and cut-off voltage on LNO and Li-metal, which can help guide the development of cells based on LNO.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2020

Kinetic Limitations in Single-Crystal High-Nickel Cathodes

High-nickel cathodes attract immense interest for use in lithium-ion batteries, to boost Li-storage capacity while reducing cost. For overcoming the intergranular-cracking issue in polycrystals, single-crystals are considered an appealing alternative, but aggravating concerns on compromising the electrochemical kinetics of electrodes. We report here a quantitative assessment of electrochemical reaction in single-crystal LiNi 0.8 Mn 0.1 Co 0.8 O 2 using operando hard X-ray microscopy/spectroscopy, revealing a strong dependence of redox kinetics on the state of charge (SOC) - being sluggish at low SOC while increasing rapidly as SOC increases both in the bulk electrode and individual particles. The observation is corroborated by transport measurements and finite-element simulation, indicating that the sluggish kinetics in single-crystals is governed by ionic transport at low SOC and may be alleviated through synergistic interaction with polycrystals integrated into a same electrode. Finally, with the elucidated mechanistic origin and alleviation solution of kinetic limitations in single-crystal high-Ni cathodes, this work constitutes a step forward in enabling their practical deployment.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2024

In situ Synchrotron X‐ray Metrology Boosted by Automated Data Analysis for Real‐time Monitoring of Cathode Calcination

Abstract Synchrotron X‐ray‐based in situ metrology is advantageous for monitoring the synthesis of battery materials, offering high throughput, high spatial and temporal resolution, and chemical sensitivity. However, the rapid generation of massive data poses a challenge to on‐site, on‐the‐fly analysis needed for real‐time process monitoring. Here, a weighted lagged cross‐correlation (WLCC) similarity approach is presented for automated data analysis, which merges with in situ synchrotron X‐ray diffraction metrology to monitor the calcination process of the archetypal nickel‐based cathode, LiNiO 2 . The WLCC approach, incorporating variables that account for peak shifts and width changes associated with structural transformations, enables rapid extraction of phase progression within 10 seconds from tens of diffraction patterns. Details are captured, from initial precursors to intermediates and the final layered LiNiO 2 , providing information for agile on‐site adjustments during experiments and complementing post hoc diffraction analysis by offering insights into early‐stage phase nucleation and growth. Expanding this data‐powered platform paves the way for real time calcination process monitoring and control, which is pivotal to quality control in battery cathode manufacturing.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2019

On the Use of Voltammetry to Estimate the Effectiveness of Cathodic Protection of Buried Steel Structures

Buried steel structures, e.g., oil and gas pipelines, are often protected against corrosion by the combination of organic coating and cathodic protection. The effectiveness of cathodic protection can be monitored over time using voltammetry via a computer fitting of the polarization curves with theoretical electrochemical kinetic laws. In this study, the influence of the scan rate and the procedure used for the acquisition of the polarization curve was investigated. Reliable, though slightly overestimated, residual corrosion rates were obtained using a specific procedure and a low potential scan rate. However, the residual corrosion rate has a meaning only if the wet area of the electrode is known, which can be achieved by measuring another parameter linked to the wet area, e.g., the electrolyte resistance R{sub s}. In a soil at 25% saturation, the wet area, which is the surface of the metal in contact with the soil electrolyte, may be actually significantly different from the whole surface of the electrode.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2021

Nanostructured ligament and fiber Al–doped Li 7 La 3 Zr 2 O 12 scaffolds to mediate cathode-electrolyte interface chemistry

In this study, scaffold structures of electrospun aluminum–substituted lithium lanthanum zirconate Li 7 La 3 Zr 2 O 12 (Al-LLZO) were synthesized and used as an additive in a LiNi 0.6 Mn 0.2 Co 0.2 O 2 composite cathode. The scaffolds were crystalized in the cubic phase after calcination at 700 °C. The Al-LLZO scaffold morphology was dependent on the precursor formulation (aqueous and dimethylformamide. The aqueous precursors resulted in scaffolds of densely coalesced ligaments, whereas the dimethylformamide precursors resulted in high–aspect ratio nanofiber scaffolds. The long-term cycling stability and rate performance of the cells were found to depend on the Al-LLZO scaffold morphology. The uniformly dispersed Al-LLZO fibers resulted in a more stable cathode electrolyte interface formation through the reduced decomposition of the LiPF 6 salt during cycling, resulting in a better high-rate and long-term cycling performance.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2018

Optimization of cathodic arc deposition and pulsed plasma melting techniques for growing smooth superconducting Pb photoemissive films for SRF injectors

Superconducting photoinjectors have a potential to be the optimal solution for moderate and high current cw operating free electron lasers. For this application, a superconducting lead (Pb) cathode has been proposed to simplify the cathode integration into a 1.3 GHz, TESLA-type, 1.6-cell long purely superconducting gun cavity. In the proposed design, a lead film several micrometres thick is deposited onto a niobium plug attached to the cavity back wall. Traditional lead deposition techniques usually produce very non-uniform emission surfaces and often result in a poor adhesion of the layer. A pulsed plasma melting procedure reducing the non-uniformity of the lead photocathodes is presented. In order to determine the parameters optimal for this procedure, heat transfer from plasma to the film was first modelled to evaluate melting front penetration range and liquid state duration. The obtained results were verified by surface inspection of witness samples. The optimal procedure was used to prepare a photocathode plug, which was then tested in an electron gun. In conclusion, the quantum efficiency and the value of cavity quality factor have been found to satisfy the requirements for an injector of the European-XFEL facility.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2021

Spontaneous Strain Buffer Enables Superior Cycling Stability in Single-Crystal Nickel-Rich NCM Cathode

The capacity degredation in layered Ni-rich LiNixCoyMnzO2 (x >= 0.8) cathode largely originated from drastic surface reactions and intergranular cracks in polycrystalline particles. Herein, we report a highly stable single- crystal LiNi0.83Co0.12Mn0.05O2 cathode material, which can deliver a high specific capacity (similar to 209 mAh g(-1) at 0.1 C, 2.8-4.3 V) and meanwhile display excellent cycling stability (>96% retention for 100 cycles and >93% for 200 cycles). By a combination of in situ X-ray diffraction and in situ pair distribution function analysis, an intermediate monoclinic distortion and irregular H3 stack are revealed in the single crystals upon charging-discharging processes. These structural changes might be driven by unique Li-intercalation kinetics in single crystals, which enables an additional strain buffer to reduce the cracks and thereby ensure the high cycling stability.

in situ synchrotron characterization↗
DOE OSTI2018

Oxygen Release Induced Chemomechanical Breakdown of Layered Cathode Materials

Chemical and mechanical properties interplay on the nanometric scale and collectively govern the functionalities of battery materials. Understanding the relationship between the two can inform the design of battery materials with optimal chemomechanical properties for long-life lithium batteries. Herein, we report a mechanism of nanoscale mechanical breakdown in layered oxide cathode materials, originating from oxygen release at high states of charge under thermal abuse conditions. Here, we observe that the mechanical breakdown of charged Li 1-x Ni 0.4 Mn 0.4 Co 0.2 O 2 materials proceeds via a two-step pathway involving intergranular and intragranular crack formation. Owing to the oxygen release, sporadic phase transformations from the layered structure to the spinel and/or rocksalt structures introduce local stress, which initiates microcracks along grain boundaries and ultimately leads to the detachment of primary particles; i.e., intergranular crack formation. Furthermore, intragranular cracks (pores and exfoliations) form, likely due to the accumulation of oxygen vacancies and continuous phase transformations at the surfaces of primary particles. Finally, finite element modeling confirms our experimental observation that the crack formation is attributable to formation of oxygen vacancies, oxygen release, and phase transformations. This study is designed to directly observe the chemomechanical behavior of layered oxide cathode materials and provides a chemical basis for strengthening primary and secondary particles by stabilizing the oxygen anions in the lattice.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2020

Effects of Extended Aqueous Processing on Structure, Chemistry, and Performance of Polycrystalline LiNi x Mn y Co z O 2 Cathode Powders

The prospect of aqueous processing of LiNi x Mn y Co z O 2 (NMC) cathodes has significant appeal to battery manufacturers for the reduction in materials cost, toxicological risk, and environmental impact compared to conventional N -methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP)-based processing. However, the effects of aqueous processing of NMC powders at industrial timescales are not well studied, with prior studies mostly focusing on relatively brief water washing processes. Here, we investigate the bulk and surface impacts of extended aqueous processing of polycrystalline NMC powders with different compositions. We demonstrate that at timescales of several hours, polycrystalline NMC is susceptible to intergranular fracture, with the severity of fracture scaling with the NMC nickel content. While bulk crystallinity and composition are unchanged, surface sensitive techniques such as X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) indicate that the exposure of water leads to a level of delithiation, nickel reduction, and reconstruction from the layered to rock-salt structure at the surface of individual grains. Dynamic single NMC microparticle compression testing suggests that the resulting mechanical stresses weaken the integrity of the polycrystalline particle and increases susceptibility of intergranular fracture. The initially degraded surfaces along with the increased surface area lead to faster capacity fade and impedance growth during electrochemical cycling. From this work, it is demonstrated that NMC powders require surface or grain boundary modifications to make industrial-scale aqueous cathode processing viable, especially for next-generation nickel-rich NMC chemistries.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗