4 research outputs found
Identification of Li-Ion Battery SEI Compounds through <sup>7</sup>Li and <sup>13</sup>C Solid-State MAS NMR Spectroscopy and MALDI-TOF Mass Spectrometry
Solid-state <sup>7</sup>Li and <sup>13</sup>C MAS NMR spectra of
cycled graphitic Li-ion anodes demonstrate SEI compound formation
upon lithiation that is followed by changes in the SEI upon delithiation.
Solid-state <sup>13</sup>C DPMAS NMR shows changes in peaks associated
with organic solvent compounds (ethylene carbonate and dimethyl carbonate,
EC/DMC) upon electrochemical cycling due to the formation of and subsequent
changes in the SEI compounds. Solid-state <sup>13</sup>C NMR spin–lattice
(T<sub>1</sub>) relaxation time measurements of lithiated Li-ion anodes
and reference polyÂ(ethylene oxide) (PEO) powders, along with MALDI-TOF
mass spectrometry results, indicate that large-molecular-weight polymers
are formed in the SEI layers of the discharged anodes. MALDI-TOF MS
and NMR spectroscopy results additionally indicate that delithiated
anodes exhibit a larger number of SEI products than is found in lithiated
anodes
Improving the Capacity of Sodium Ion Battery Using a Virus-Templated Nanostructured Composite Cathode
In this work we investigated an energy-efficient
biotemplated route to synthesize nanostructured FePO<sub>4</sub> for
sodium-based batteries. Self-assembled M13 viruses and single wall
carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) have been used as a template to grow amorphous
FePO<sub>4</sub> nanoparticles at room temperature (the active composite
is denoted as Bio-FePO<sub>4</sub>-CNT) to enhance the electronic
conductivity of the active material. Preliminary tests demonstrate
a discharge capacity as high as 166 mAh/g at C/10 rate, corresponding
to composition Na<sub>0.9</sub>FePO<sub>4</sub>, which along with
higher C-rate tests show this material to have the highest capacity
and power performance reported for amorphous FePO<sub>4</sub> electrodes
to date
Engineering the Transformation Strain in LiMn<sub><i>y</i></sub>Fe<sub>1–<i>y</i></sub>PO<sub>4</sub> Olivines for Ultrahigh Rate Battery Cathodes
Alkali ion intercalation compounds
used as battery electrodes often exhibit first-order phase transitions
during electrochemical cycling, accompanied by significant transformation
strains. Despite ∼30 years of research into the behavior of
such compounds, the relationship between transformation strain and
electrode performance, especially the rate at which working ions (e.g.,
Li) can be intercalated and deintercalated, is still absent. In this
work, we use the LiMn<sub><i>y</i></sub>Fe<sub>1–<i>y</i></sub>PO<sub>4</sub> system for a systematic study, and
measure using operando synchrotron radiation powder X-ray diffraction
(SR-PXD) the dynamic strain behavior as a function of the Mn content
(<i>y</i>) in powders of ∼50 nm average diameter.
The dynamically produced strain deviates significantly from what is
expected from the equilibrium phase diagrams and demonstrates metastability
but nonetheless spans a wide range from 0 to 8 vol % with <i>y</i>. For the first time, we show that the discharge capacity
at high C-rates (20–50C rate) varies in inverse proportion
to the transformation strain, implying that engineering electrode
materials for reduced strain can be used to maximize the power capability
of batteries
Accommodating High Transformation Strains in Battery Electrodes via the Formation of Nanoscale Intermediate Phases: Operando Investigation of Olivine NaFePO<sub>4</sub>
Virtually
all intercalation compounds exhibit significant changes
in unit cell volume as the working ion concentration varies. Na<sub><i>x</i></sub>FePO<sub>4</sub> (0 < <i>x</i> < 1, NFP) olivine, of interest as a cathode for sodium-ion batteries,
is a model for topotactic, high-strain systems as it exhibits one
of the largest discontinuous volume changes (∼17% by volume)
during its first-order transition between two otherwise isostructural
phases. Using synchrotron radiation powder X-ray diffraction (PXD)
and pair distribution function (PDF) analysis, we discover a new strain-accommodation
mechanism wherein a third, amorphous phase forms to buffer the large
lattice mismatch between primary phases. The amorphous phase has short-range
order over ∼1nm domains that is characterized by <i>a</i> and <i>b</i> parameters matching one crystalline end-member
phase and a <i>c</i> parameter matching the other, but is
not detectable by powder diffraction alone. We suggest that this strain-accommodation
mechanism may generally apply to systems with large transformation
strains