07 April 2013

Studying Lithium Ion Intercalation Properties Using Nanostructures, Vanadium Pentoxide and Lithium Titanate


The University of Washington used vanadium pentoxide and lithium titanate as model electrode materials in studying factors that influence lithium-ion intercalation properties. This research was presented at a meeting of the American Chemical Society as part of the 245th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society.

Abstract: Nanostructured electrodes for lithium ion batteries

Guozhong Cao, University of Washington
Phone: 206-616-9084
Email: gzcao@u.washington.edu



Lithium-ion batteries store electrical energy in the form of chemical potential like primary batteries; however, the charge-discharge process in lithium-ion batteries is more complex as it involves not only Faradaic reactions at the interface between electrodes and electrolyte, but also is accompanied with mass and charge transport and volume change of the electrodes that commonly possess low electrical conductivity. Electrodes away from thermodynamic equilibrium include nanostructures with high surface energy, poor-crystalline materials, and materials with significant surface or bulk defects. Such materials are in higher energy state and, thus, easier for phase transfer and nucleation; such materials also have less closely packed structure, permitting faster mass transport and accommodating more lithium-ions as well as tolerating more volume change. This presentation will take vanadium pentoxide and lithium titanate as two model materials to illustrate the influences of doping, surface defects and carbon coating, and nanostructures on the lithium-ion intercalation properties.

RELATED LINKS

University of Washington
American Chemical Society