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Title: Ultrasonic-assisted co-precipitation to synthesize lithium-rich cathode Li1.3Ni0.21Mn0.64O2+d materials for lithium-ion batteries

Journal Article · · Journal of Power Sources

Lithium-rich, composite-layered, transition metal oxides have been intensively investigated recently. However, poor rate capability has severely hindered the commercial development of these materials. We produce nanoscale hydroxide precursors for these cathodes using ultrasonic-assisted co-precipitation. The ultrasonic irradiation of a liquid leads to the generation of a cavitation phenomenon comprised of unique reaction fields, which assists in the synthesis of nanoparticle materials. This is confirmed by scanning and transmission electron microscopy. X-ray diffraction and Rietveld refinement results indicate that the ultrasonic-assisted Li1.3Ni0.21Mn0.64O2+d material has a larger lithium slab space. Electrochemical studies indicate that the ultrasonic-assisted material exhibits a higher initial discharge capacity (251.2 mAh g-1 at 0.1 C) and better cycling performance (200.4 mAh g-1 after 50 cycles) compared with the material synthesized using traditional co-precipitation. Surprisingly, the ultrasonic-assisted material has a stable capacity of 140 mAh g-1 at 5 C and 115 mAh g-1 at 10 C after 50 cycles. First-principles calculations are used to confirm that the specific lattice structure leads to a faster lithium-ion mobility speed.

Research Organization:
Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
National Basic Research Program of China; National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC); USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) - Office of Vehicle Technology
DOE Contract Number:
AC02-06CH11357
OSTI ID:
1392035
Journal Information:
Journal of Power Sources, Vol. 272, Issue C; ISSN 0378-7753
Publisher:
Elsevier
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English