• Proceedings of the Materials Research Society of Korea Conference
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• 2011.05a
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• pp.5-5
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• 2011

The research and development of hybrid electric vehicle (HEV), plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) and electric vehicle (EV) are intensified due to the energy crisis and environmental concerns. In order to meet the challenging requirements of powering HEV, PHEV and EV, the current lithium battery technology needs to be significantly improved in terms of the cost, safety, power and energy density, as well as the calendar and cycle life. One new technology being developed is the utilization of composite cathode by mixing two different types of insertion compounds [e.g., spinel $LiMn_2O_4$ and layered $LiMO_2$ (M=Ni, Co, and Mn)]. Recently, some studies on mixing two different types of cathode materials to make a composite cathode have been reported, which were aimed at reducing cost and improving self-discharge. Numata et al. reported that when stored in a sealed can together with electrolyte at $80^{\circ}C$ for 10 days, the concentrations of both HF and $Mn^{2+}$ were lower in the can containing $LiMn_2O_4$ blended with $LiNi_{0.8}Co_{0.2}O_2$ than that containing $LiMn_2O_4$ only. That reports clearly showed that this blending technique can prevent the decline in capacity caused by cycling or storage at elevated temperatures. However, not much work has been reported on the charge-discharge characteristics and related structural phase transitions for these composite cathodes. In this presentation, we will report our in situ x-ray diffraction studies on this mixed composite cathode material during charge-discharge cycling. The mixed cathodes were incorporated into in situ XRD cells with a Li foil anode, a Celgard separator, and a 1M $LiPF_6$ electrolyte in a 1 : 1 EC : DMC solvent (LP 30 from EM Industries, Inc.). For in situ XRD cell, Mylar windows were used as has been described in detail elsewhere. All of these in situ XRD spectra were collected on beam line X18A at National Synchrotron Light Source (NSLS) at Brookhaven National Laboratory using two different detectors. One is a conventional scintillation detector with data collection at 0.02 degree in two theta angle for each step. The other is a wide angle position sensitive detector (PSD). The wavelengths used were 1.1950 ${\AA}$ for the scintillation detector and 0.9999 A for the PSD. The newly installed PSD at beam line X18A of NSLS can collect XRD patterns as short as a few minutes covering $90^{\circ}$ of two theta angles simultaneously with good signal to noise ratio. It significantly reduced the data collection time for each scan, giving us a great advantage in studying the phase transition in real time. The two theta angles of all the XRD spectra presented in this paper have been recalculated and converted to corresponding angles for ${\lambda}=1.54\;{\AA}$, which is the wavelength of conventional x-ray tube source with Cu-$k{\alpha}$ radiation, for easy comparison with data in other literatures. The structural changes of the composite cathode made by mixing spinel $LiMn_2O_4$ and layered $Li-Ni_{1/3}Co_{1/3}Mn_{1/3}O_2$ in 1 : 1 wt% in both Li-half and Li-ion cells during charge/discharge are studied by in situ XRD. During the first charge up to ~5.2 V vs. $Li/Li^+$, the in situ XRD spectra for the composite cathode in the Li-half cell track the structural changes of each component. At the early stage of charge, the lithium extraction takes place in the $LiNi_{1/3}Co_{1/3}Mn_{1/3}O_2$ component only. When the cell voltage reaches at ~4.0 V vs. $Li/Li^+$, lithium extraction from the spinel $LiMn_2O_4$ component starts and becomes the major contributor for the cell capacity due to the higher rate capability of $LiMn_2O_4$. When the voltage passed 4.3 V, the major structural changes are from the $LiNi_{1/3}Co_{1/3}Mn_{1/3}O_2$ component, while the $LiMn_2O_4$ component is almost unchanged. In the Li-ion cell using a MCMB anode and a composite cathode cycled between 2.5 V and 4.2 V, the structural changes are dominated by the spinel $LiMn_2O_4$ component, with much less changes in the layered $LiNi_{1/3}Co_{1/3}Mn_{1/3}O_2$ component, comparing with the Li-half cell results. These results give us valuable information about the structural changes relating to the contributions of each individual component to the cell capacity at certain charge/discharge state, which are helpful in designing and optimizing the composite cathode using spinel- and layered-type materials for Li-ion battery research. More detailed discussion will be presented at the meeting.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.34 no.9
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• pp.2573-2576
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• 2013

Rate capability and cyclability of $LiMn_2O_4$ should be improved in order to use it as a cathode material of lithium-ion batteries for hybrid-electric-vehicles (HEV). To enhance the rate capability and cyclability of $LiMn_2O_4$, it was coated with $MnV_2O_6$ by a sol-gel method. A $V_2O_5$ sol was prepared by a melt-quenching method and the $LiMn_2O_4$ coated with the sol was heat-treated to obtain the $MnV_2O_6$ coating layer. Crystal structure and morphology of the samples were examined by X-ray diffraction, SEM and TEM. The electrochemical performances, including cyclability at $60^{\circ}C$, and rate capability of the bare and the coated $LiMn_2O_4$ were measured and compared. Overall, $MnV_2O_6$ coating on $LiMn_2O_4$ improves the cyclability at high temperature and rate capability at room temperature at the cost of discharge capacity. The improvement in cyclability at high temperature and the enhanced rate capability is believed to come from the reduced contact between the electrode, and electrolyte and higher electric conductivity of the coating layer. However, a dramatic decrease in discharge capacity would make it impractical to increase the coating amount above 3 wt %.

• Journal of the Korean Electrochemical Society
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.297-303
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• 2008

$LiNiO_2$ cathode powders with fine size have been synthesized by spray pyrolysis from the spray solution with citric acid and ethylene glycol. The as-prepared powders with spherical shape, porous structure and micron size turned into $LiNiO_2$ powders with micron size and regular morphology after post-treatment at $800^{\circ}C$. The initial discharge capacities of the $LiNiO_2$ powders changed from 199 to 171mAh/g when the concentrations of the citric acid and ethylene glycol added to the spray solutions were changed from 0 to 1 M. The maximum initial discharge capacity of the $LiNiO_2$ powders obtained from the spray solution with citric acid and ethylene glycol was 198 mAh/g when the lithium component added to the spray solution was 6 mol% excess of the stoichiometric amount. The discharge capacities of the fine-sized $LiNiO_2$ powders dropped from 198 to 163 mAh/g by the 30 th cycle at a current density of 0.1 C.

• Journal of Electrochemical Science and Technology
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• v.4 no.3
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• pp.102-107
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• 2013

The electrochemical properties of Mg-doped $LiFe_{0.48}Mn_{0.48}Mg_{0.04}PO_4$ and pure $LiFe_{0.5}Mn_{0.5}PO_4$ olivine cathodes are examined and the lattice parameters are refined by Rietveld analysis. The calculated atomic parameters from the refinement show that $Mg^{2+}$ doping has a significant effect in the olivine $LiFeMnPO_4$ structure. The unit cell volume is 297.053(2) ${\AA}^3$ for pure $LiFe_{0.5}Mn_{0.5}PO_4$ and is decreased to 296.177(1) ${\AA}^3$ for Mg-doped $LiFe_{0.48}Mn_{0.48}Mg_{0.04}PO_4$ sample. The doping of $Mg^{2+}$ cation with atomic radius smaller than $Mn^{2+}$ and $Fe^{2+}$ ion induces longer Li-O bond length in $LiO_6$ octahedra of the olivine structure. The larger interstitial sites in $LiO_6$ octahedra facilitate the lithium ion migration and also enhance the diffusion kinetics of olivine cathode material. The $LiFe_{0.48}Mn_{0.48}Mg_{0.04}PO_4$ sample with larger Li-O bond length delivers higher discharge capacities and also notably increases the rate capability of the electrode.

• Journal of Hydrogen and New Energy
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• v.22 no.5
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• pp.728-734
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• 2011

$LiFePO_4$ is a promising cathode material for secondary lithium batteries due to its high energy density, low cost and safety. $LiFePO_4$ was synthesized by the citrate process under reductive, neutral, and oxidative, atmospheres and the crystal structure was analyzed by X-ray powder diffraction. The samples synthesized under $N_2$ and $H_2$ atmosphere showed a single phase of a olivine structure, where the samples synthesized under $O_2$ atmosphere exhibited second phase of $Fe2O_3$. All the samples synthesized at 400, 600 and $800^{\circ}C$ under $N_2$ atmosphere presented a single phase of olivine. Residual organic material was observed for the sample synthesized at $400^{\circ}C$. There was nearly no intensity difference between the samples synthesized at $600^{\circ}C$ and $800^{\circ}C$. The electrochemical characteristic of the $LiFePO_4$ synthesized at $600^{\circ}C$ in the $N_2$ atmosphere was analyzed. The result exhibited an high discharge capacity of 160 mAh/g at the first cycle, and 155-160 mAh/g after 45 cycles.

• Journal of the Korean Electrochemical Society
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.7-12
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• 2014

There is increasing demand on the reducing the weight and the volume of the major components in lithium secondary battery to improve energy density. Separator not only provides pathway for lithium ion movement but also prevents direct contact between anode and cathode. Herein we fabricated polyethylene separator by varying biaxial stretching ratio to obtain membrane thickness of 16, 12, and $9{\mu}m$. Mechanical and thermal properties of the separator with different thickness were investigated. Also rate capability and charge-discharge cycle property up to 500 cycles were studied using coin type full-cell with $LiCoO_2$ and graphite as a cathode and an anode, respectively. All the cells using separator with different thickness demonstrated excellent capacity retention after 500cycles (around 80%). Considering the rate capability, cell using separator with thickness of $9{\mu}m$ showed best performance. Interestingly, separator thickness of $9{\mu}m$ was more resistant to heat contraction compared to that of $16{\mu}m$ separator.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.384-388
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• 2013

Fluorine-doping on the $Li_{1+x}Mn_{1.9-x}Al_{0.1}O_4$ spinel cathode materials is found to alter crystal shape, and enhance initial interfacial reactivity and solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) formation, leading to improved initial coulombic efficiency in the voltage region of 3.3-4.3 V vs. Li/$Li^+$ in the room temperature electrolyte of 1 M $LiPF_6$/EC:EMC. SEM imaging reveals that the facetting on higher surface energy plane of (101) is additionally developed at the edges of an octahedron that is predominantly grown with the most thermodynamically stable (111) plane, which enhances interfacial reactivity. Fluorine-doping also increases the amount of interfacially reactive $Mn^{3+}$ on both bulk and surface for charge neutrality. Enhanced interfacial reactivity by fluorine-doping attributes instant formation of a stable SEI layer and improved initial cyclic efficiency. The data contribute to a basic understanding of the impacts of composition on material properties and cycling behavior of spinel-based cathode materials for lithium-ion batteries.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.35 no.3
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• pp.182-191
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• 2024

Li(Ni_xCo_yMn_1-x-y)O₂ (NCM) is the intensively developed cathode material for expanding the electric vehicle market and developing lithium-ion batteries that meet higher capacity, longer life, and lower cost. High-nickel NCM increases the nickel content to 80% or more, securing price competitiveness by improving performance with high energy density and reducing the cost of cobalt. However, the high-nickel NCM materials have a residual lithium problem, leading to issues in battery performance degradation and stability. While various methods exist for removing residual lithium, such as washing, doping, and coating, this paper focuses on recent research trends in coatings aimed at enhancing NCM performance and stability by removing residual lithium.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.491-495
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• 1999

$Ni_{0.2}V_2O_5$ aerogel (ARG) was synthesized via the sol gel method and has been studied with an emphasis on the characterization of its electrochemical properties. ARG appear to be amorphous layered material. Electron micrograph revealed that entangled fibrous textures has been grown to form anisotropic corrugated sheets. Several sites for the Li ion intercalation exist between the layers of ARG and average cell potential was 3.1 V vs $Li/Li^+$ Th charge transfer resistance increases 3 to 4 times as lithium composition increases, but the interphase resistance remains almost constant regardless of the lithium composition in thc ARG.

• Journal of the Korean Ceramic Society
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• v.37 no.10
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• pp.955-961
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• 2000

사티탄산칼륨을 리튬이온 전지의 양극재료로써 사용하고자 할 때 사티탄산칼륨의 합성 열처리 온도가 리튬이온 치환량에 미치는 영향에 대해 조사하였다. 사티탄산칼륨은 $K_2$O와 TiO$_2$의 몰 비를 1 : 3.91로 칭량하여 95$0^{\circ}C$, 100$0^{\circ}C$, 105$0^{\circ}C$에서 각각 합성하였다. 그 후, 사티탄산칼륨의 (Ti$_4$O$_{9}$ )$^{2-}$ 층간에 존재하는 $K^{+}$ 이온을 H$^{+}$ 이온으로 치환하고 이것을 다시 Li$^{+}$ 이온으로 치환하였다. 사티탄산칼륨의 합성 열처리 온도가 증가할수록 사티탄산칼륨의 (Ti$_4$O$_{9}$ )$^{2-}$ 층간의 거리가 감소했고 사티탄산칼륨의 길이가 증가했다. 95$0^{\circ}C$에서 열처리된 사티탄산칼륨의 리튬이온 치환량이 가장 많았다. 이는 상대적으로 낮은 합성 열처리 온도에서 사티탄산칼륨의 (Ti$_4$O$_{9}$ )$^{2-}$ 층간의 거리가 넓어져 리튬이온의 층간 이동이 쉬어졌고, 고온에서 열처리되어 길이가 긴 사티탄산칼륨에 비해 저온에서 열처리된 사티탄산칼륨은 길이가 짧아져 리튬이온이 (Ti$_4$O$_{9}$ )$^{2-}$ 층간으로 이동해 가는 거리가 짧아졌으며 아울러 짧은 사티탄산칼륨의 개수가 동일한 무게 당긴 사티탄산칼륨의 개수보다 많으므로 리튬이온의 치환량이 많아진다고 사료된다.