image: In the schematic illustration, a number of synchrotron characterization techniques are listed, highlighting their respective sensitivity to the lattice structure, the electronic structure, and the micro morphology. view more
Credit: ©Science China Press
This work is jointly led by Dr. Yijin Liu (SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory), Dr. Xiqian Yu (Chinese Academy of Sciences), and Dr. Linsen Li (Shanghai Jiao Tong University). Li-ion battery plays a very significant role in today’s global energy supply. Breakthroughs in developing next-generation high-energy-density Li-ion battery are critically needed to meet the ever-increasing demands from a wide range of applications, ranging from the electric vehicles to the grid-scale energy storage. Cathode materials are considered as one of the most vital factors for improving battery’s energy density and lowering the production cost. “Although the layered cathode materials have been broadly adopted in various applications, there are still fundamental questions yet to be understood and considerable room for improvement.” Liu says, who has been utilizing synchrotron techniques for energy material research for over 10 years.
This collaborative research team reviewed the recent efforts of utilizing the state-of-the-art synchrotron techniques for studying battery cathode. In particular, they focus on three different perspectives, i.e., lattice, electronic, and morphological structures, all of which evolve as the batteries are operated under real-world conditions. The synchrotron characterization tools can offer valuable insights into how the battery cathode responses to repeated charging and discharging, which could inform the material design.
“We highlight the importance of looking at this complicated material system under realistic operating conditions.” Guannan Qian says, who is a postdoctoral scholar at SLAC and the first author of this article, “Synchrotron techniques stand out as a suite of powerful characterization tools and have facilitated in-situ and operando observations of the battery non-destructively"
The study of practical and highly complicated cathode materials necessitates a multi-modal approach and benefits from the novel computational developments, e.g., machine learning tools. “The need for researchers with different expertise to collaborate is fundamentally cause by the increasing complexity of our research target.” Liu adds, “The interdisciplinary collaboration is becoming a must.”
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See the article:
Structural and chemical evolution in layered oxide cathodes of lithium-ion batteries revealed by synchrotron techniques
https://doi.org/10.1093/nsr/nwab146
Journal
National Science Review