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Title: Enabling aqueous processing for LiNi0.80Co0.15Al0.05O2 (NCA)-based lithium-ion battery cathodes using polyacrylic acid

Abstract

Replacing N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP) with water in the production of lithium-ion battery cathodes is critical to realizing process cost savings and improved worker safety. LiNi0.80Co0.15Al0.05O2 (NCA) is a poor fit for aqueous processing due to destructive Al current collector corrosion resulting from highly basic slurries and detrimental surface reconstruction reactions that occur in water. In this study, polyacrylic acid (PAA, MW = 450,000 g·mol-1) is examined as a corrosion-mitigating and surface-stabilizing agent. Adding PAA to an aqueous NCA slurry can provide a stable pH (4.0–8.5) for at least 4 h, since the carboxyl groups from PAA dissociate and increase the proton concentration in the slurry. Further, these groups can also adsorb to the surface of NCA particles and provide electrostatic stability from active material particle agglomeration, as revealed by zeta potential measurements. Minor cracking does occur at the electrode surface; this cracking likely caused poorer adhesion to the Al current collector in the aqueous-processed film when compared to the NMP-processed baseline. Electrochemically, the leached Li does cause a lower initial capacity for the aqueous-processed cathode, though the capacity retention of the aqueous-processed cathode is better than the baseline. The cracks in the coating led to a rise in charge transfer resistancemore » that hindered rate capability above 1C.« less

Authors:
ORCiD logo [1]; ORCiD logo [2]; ORCiD logo [1]
  1. Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Univ. of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN (United States)
  2. Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE); USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Transportation Office. Vehicle Technologies Office
OSTI Identifier:
1777736
Alternate Identifier(s):
OSTI ID: 1804142
Grant/Contract Number:  
AC05-00OR22725
Resource Type:
Accepted Manuscript
Journal Name:
Electrochimica Acta
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 380; Journal ID: ISSN 0013-4686
Publisher:
Elsevier
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
25 ENERGY STORAGE; Aqueous cathode processing; Low-cobalt cathode; Energy dense cathodes; Cation exchange; Green chemistry; Cycle life

Citation Formats

Hawley, W. Blake, Meyer III, Harry M., and Li, Jianlin. Enabling aqueous processing for LiNi0.80Co0.15Al0.05O2 (NCA)-based lithium-ion battery cathodes using polyacrylic acid. United States: N. p., 2021. Web. doi:10.1016/j.electacta.2021.138203.
Hawley, W. Blake, Meyer III, Harry M., & Li, Jianlin. Enabling aqueous processing for LiNi0.80Co0.15Al0.05O2 (NCA)-based lithium-ion battery cathodes using polyacrylic acid. United States. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.electacta.2021.138203
Hawley, W. Blake, Meyer III, Harry M., and Li, Jianlin. Thu . "Enabling aqueous processing for LiNi0.80Co0.15Al0.05O2 (NCA)-based lithium-ion battery cathodes using polyacrylic acid". United States. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.electacta.2021.138203. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1777736.
@article{osti_1777736,
title = {Enabling aqueous processing for LiNi0.80Co0.15Al0.05O2 (NCA)-based lithium-ion battery cathodes using polyacrylic acid},
author = {Hawley, W. Blake and Meyer III, Harry M. and Li, Jianlin},
abstractNote = {Replacing N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP) with water in the production of lithium-ion battery cathodes is critical to realizing process cost savings and improved worker safety. LiNi0.80Co0.15Al0.05O2 (NCA) is a poor fit for aqueous processing due to destructive Al current collector corrosion resulting from highly basic slurries and detrimental surface reconstruction reactions that occur in water. In this study, polyacrylic acid (PAA, MW = 450,000 g·mol-1) is examined as a corrosion-mitigating and surface-stabilizing agent. Adding PAA to an aqueous NCA slurry can provide a stable pH (4.0–8.5) for at least 4 h, since the carboxyl groups from PAA dissociate and increase the proton concentration in the slurry. Further, these groups can also adsorb to the surface of NCA particles and provide electrostatic stability from active material particle agglomeration, as revealed by zeta potential measurements. Minor cracking does occur at the electrode surface; this cracking likely caused poorer adhesion to the Al current collector in the aqueous-processed film when compared to the NMP-processed baseline. Electrochemically, the leached Li does cause a lower initial capacity for the aqueous-processed cathode, though the capacity retention of the aqueous-processed cathode is better than the baseline. The cracks in the coating led to a rise in charge transfer resistance that hindered rate capability above 1C.},
doi = {10.1016/j.electacta.2021.138203},
journal = {Electrochimica Acta},
number = ,
volume = 380,
place = {United States},
year = {Thu Mar 25 00:00:00 EDT 2021},
month = {Thu Mar 25 00:00:00 EDT 2021}
}

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