Thin film and bulk investigations of LiCoBO3 as a Li-ion battery cathode

Journal Article · Wed Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 2014 · ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1021/am500860a· OSTI ID:1154813

Bo, Shou-Hang ^[1]; Veith, Gabriel M ^[2]; Saccomanno, Michael ^[1]; Huang, Huafeng ^[1]; Burmistrova, Polina ^[1]; Malingowski, Andrew ^[1]; Sacci, Robert L ^[2]; Grey, Clare ^[3]; Khalifah, P. ^[1]

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1. Stony Brook University (SUNY)
2. ORNL
3. Cambridge University

The compound LiCoBO3 is an appealing candidate for next generation Li-ion batteries based on its high theoretical specific capacity of 215 mAh/g and high expected discharge voltage (more than 4 V vs. Li+/Li). However, this level of performance has not yet been realized in experimental cells, even with nanosized particles. Reactive magnetron sputtering was therefore used to prepare thin films of LiCoBO3, allowing the influence of particle thickness on electrochemical performance to be explicitly tested. Even when ultra-thin films (~15 nm) were prepared, there was a negligible electrochemical response from LiCoBO3. Impedance spectroscopy measurements suggest that the conductivity of LiCoBO3 is many orders of magnitude worse than that of LiFeBO3, and may be severely limiting performance. The band gap and unusual blue color of LiCoBO3 were investigated by spectroscopic techniques, which allowed the determination of an optical gap of 4.2 eV and the assignment of the visible light absorption to a symmetry-allowed e a transition that occurs within the context of a particularly simple electronic configuration.

• Research Organization: Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE Office of Science (SC)
• DOE Contract Number: DE-AC05-00OR22725
• OSTI ID: 1154813
• Journal Information: ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, Vol. 6, Issue 14; ISSN 1944--8244
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English