Emerging applications of atomic layer deposition for lithium-ion battery studies

Atomic layer deposition of amorphous TiO2 on graphene as an anode for Li-ion batteries

Atomic layer deposition (ALD) was used to deposit TiO2 anode material on high surface area graphene (reduced graphene oxide) sheets for Li-ion batteries. An Al2O3 ALD ultrathin layer was used as an adhesion layer for conformal deposition of the TiO2 ALD films at 120 ° C onto the conducting graphene sheets. The TiO2 ALD films on the Al2O3 ALD adhesion layer were nearly amorphous and conformal to the graphene sheets. These nanoscale TiO2 coatings minimized the effect of the low diffusion coefficient of lithium ions in bulk TiO2. The TiO2 ALD films exhibited stable capacities of ~120 mAh g(-1) and ~100 mAh g(-1) at high cycling rates of 1 A g(-1) and 2 A g(-1), respectively. The TiO2 ALD films also displayed excellent cycling stability with ~95% of the initial capacity remaining after 500 cycles. These results illustrate that ALD can provide a useful method to deposit electrode materials on high surface area substrates for Li-ion batteries.

Feasibility of Lithium Storage on Graphene and Its Derivatives

Nanomaterials are anticipated to be promising storage media, owing to their high surface-to-mass ratio. The high hydrogen capacity achieved by using graphene has reinforced this opinion and motivated investigations of the possibility to use it to store another important energy carrier - lithium (Li). While the first-principles computations show that the Li capacity of pristine graphene, limited by Li clustering and phase separation, is lower than that offered by Li intercalation in graphite, we explore the feasibility of modifying graphene for better Li storage. It is found that certain structural defects in graphene can bind Li stably, yet a more efficacious approach is through substitution doping with boron (B). In particular, the layered C3B compound stands out as a promising Li storage medium. The monolayer C3B has a capacity of 714 mAh/g (as Li1.25C3B), and the capacity of stacked C3B is 857 mAh/g (as Li1.5C3B), which is about twice as large as graphite's 372 mAh/g (as LiC6). Our results help clarify the mechanism of Li storage in low-dimensional materials, and shed light on the rational design of nanoarchitectures for energy storage.

Solution equilibrium behind the room-temperature synthesis of nanocrystalline titanium dioxide

Formation of nanocrystalline and monodisperse TiO2 from a water soluble and stable precursor, ammonium oxo-lactato-titanate, (NH4)8Ti4O4(Lactate)8·4H2O, often referred to as TiBALDH or TALH, is demonstrated to be due to a coordination equilibrium. This compound, individual in the solid state, exists in solution in equilibrium with ammonium tris-lactato-titanate, (NH4)2Ti(Lactate)3 and uniform crystalline TiO2 nanoparticles (anatase) stabilized by surface-capping with lactate ligands. This equilibrium can be shifted towards nano-TiO2via application of a less polar solvent like methanol or ethanol, dilution of the solution, introduction of salts or raising the temperature, and reverted on addition of polar and strongly solvating media such as dimethyl sulfoxide, according to NMR. Aggregation and precipitation of the particles were followed by DLS and could be achieved by a decrease in their surface charge by adsorption of strongly hydrogen-bonding cations, e.g. in solutions of ammonia, ethanolamine or amino acid arginine or by addition of ethanol. The observed equilibrium may be involved in formation of nano-titania on the surface of plant roots exerting chelating organic carboxylate ligands and thus potentially influencing plant interactions.

A new type of protective surface layer for high-capacity Ni-based cathode materials: nanoscaled surface pillaring layer

A solid solution series of lithium nickel metal oxides, Li[Ni(1-x)M(x)]O2 (with M = Co, Mn, and Al) have been investigated intensively to enhance the inherent structural instability of LiNiO2. However, when a voltage range of Ni-based cathode materials was increased up to >4.5 V, phase transitions occurring above 4.3 V resulted in accelerated formation of the trigonal phase (P3m1) and NiO phases, leading to and pulverization of the cathode during cycling at 60 °C. In an attempt to overcome these problems, LiNi0.62Co0.14Mn0.24O2 cathode material with pillar layers in which Ni(2+) ions were resided in Li slabs near the surface having a thickness of ∼10 nm was prepared using a polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) functionalized Mn precursor coating on Ni0.7Co0.15Mn0.15(OH)2. We confirmed the formation of a pillar layer via various analysis methods (XPS, HRTEM, and STEM). This material showed excellent structural stability due to a pillar layer, corresponding to 85% capacity retention between 3.0 and 4.5 V at 60 °C after 100 cycles. In addition, the amount of heat generation was decreased by 40%, compared to LiNi0.70Co0.15Mn0.15O2.