Early-stage sustainability evaluation of nanoscale cathode materials for lithium ion batteries

Results of an early-stage sustainability evaluation of two development strategies for new nanoscale cathode materials for Li-ion batteries are reported: (i) a new production pathway for an existing material (LiCoO2) and (ii) a new nanomaterial (LiMnPO4). Nano-LiCoO2 was synthesized by a single-source precursor route at a low temperature with a short reaction time, which results in a smaller grain size and, thereby, a better diffusivity for Li ions. Nano-LiMnPO4 was synthesized by a wet chemical method. The sustainability potential of these materials was then investigated (at the laboratory and pilot production scales). The results show that the environmental impact of nano-LiMnPO4 is lower than that of the other examined nanomaterial by several factors regardless of the indicator used for comparison. In contrast to commercial cathode materials, this new material shows, particularly on an energy and capacity basis, results of the same order of magnitude as those of lithium manganese oxide (LiMn2O4) and only slightly higher values than those for lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4); values that are clearly lower than those for high-temperature LiCoO2

Polymorphism, what it is and how to identify it: a systematic review

This review on polymorphism is a personal, non-comprehensive view on the field of polymorphism – a term which is often misused. Indeed, the discussion about polymorphism and related terms is still ongoing in the area of crystal engineering. This is why we felt it timely to look into the historical development of its definition and to delimit it. A short introduction to thermodynamic aspects and characterization methods of polymorphs is given. One chapter is then dedicated to polymorphism of elements and inorganic compounds, before discussing the term for organic and organo-metallic compounds. Chosen examples are given each time to illustrate the cases of polymorphism. In the end, the conclusion yields three flow schemes useful in determining polymorphism for each compound class

Nanomaterials Meet Li-ion Batteries

Li-ion batteries are used in many applications in everyday life: cell phones, laser pointers, laptops, cordless drillers or saws, bikes and even cars. Yet, there is room for improvement in order to make the batteries smaller and last longer. The Fromm group contributes to this research focusing mainly on nanoscale lithium ion cathode materials. This contribution gives an overview over our current activities in the field of batteries. After an introduction on the nano-materials of LiCoO2 and LiMnPO4, the studies of our cathode composition and preparation will be presented

MOESM1 of Characteristics and properties of nano-LiCoO2 synthesized by pre-organized single source precursors: Li-ion diffusivity, electrochemistry and biological assessment

Additional file1: Text 1. Synthesis of bimetallic compounds. Table S1. Crystal data. Text 2. Single crystal structure descriptions. Text 3. Argentometric titration. Table S2. Idealistic oxidation reactions of two types of compounds, precursors 1, 5 with 2:1 and precursors 8, 9 with 1:1 stoichiometric ratio between Li+ and Co2+. Table S3. Results of the argentometric titration of chloride and ICP-measurements for lithium. Table S4. ICP analysis for Li+ and Co3+ of LiCoO2 obtained from different precursors. Figure S6. XRD study of commercial LCO, and nano-LCO obtained from LiOtBu before annealing and after annealing at 600°C and 700°C. Figure S7. XRD of LiCoO2 from 9-LiOPh calcined at 450°C before washing. The red line corresponds to HT-LCO and the blue lines are Li2CO3. Table S5. The combustion temperature and the thermal measurement conditions of the compounds 1, 8-12. Table S6. TGA weight loss in percentage [%] with associated steps of compounds 1, 8-12. Equation S1-S5. Determination of the particle and crystallite sizes. Figure S8. Morphologies of LiCoO2 prepared with different precursors at 450°C. Figure S9. (a) Cyclic voltammograms of the 15 nm LCO prepared from the compound 12 at different sweep rates. (b) The maximum anodic and cathodic current peaks of LiCoO2 electrode versus the square root of sweep rate. Table S7. Li+ diffusion coefficients determined for HT-LCO obtained from different precursors. Figure S10. Nyquist plot for LiCoO2 electrodes from LiOtBu with fit: filled markers – experimental points, open markers – fit points with error bars a) and corresponding equivalent circuit model b) with fitting report c). Figure S11. Nyquist plot obtained for LiCoO2 electrodes from LiOPh with fit: filled markers – experimental points, open markers – fit points with error bars a) and corresponding equivalent circuit model b) with fitting report c)