An effective electrolyte design to improve the high-voltage performance of high-capacity NCM811 / SiOx-Gr batteries

Electrolyte Engineering Toward High Performance High Nickel (Ni ≥ 80%) Lithium-Ion Batteries

High nickel (Ni ≥ 80%) lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) with high specific energy are one of the most important technical routes to resolve the growing endurance anxieties. However, because of their extremely aggressive chemistries, high-Ni (Ni ≥ 80%) LIBs suffer from poor cycle life and safety performance, which hinder their large-scale commercial applications. Among varied strategies, electrolyte engineering is very powerful to simultaneously enhance the cycle life and safety of high-Ni (Ni ≥ 80%) LIBs. In this review, the pivotal challenges faced by high-Ni oxide cathodes and conventional LiPF6 -carbonate-based electrolytes are comprehensively summarized. Then, the functional additives design guidelines for LiPF6 -carbonate -based electrolytes and the design principles of high voltage resistance/high safety novel electrolytes are systematically elaborated to resolve these pivotal challenges. Moreover, the proposed thermal runaway mechanisms of high-Ni (Ni ≥ 80%) LIBs are also reviewed to provide useful perspectives for the design of high-safety electrolytes. Finally, the potential research directions of electrolyte engineering toward high-performance high-Ni (Ni ≥ 80%) LIBs are provided. This review will have an important impact on electrolyte innovation as well as the commercial evolution of high-Ni (Ni ≥ 80%) LIBs, and also will be significant to breakthrough the energy density ceiling of LIBs.

Synergistic Effect of Dual-Anion Additives Promotes the Fast Dynamics and High-Voltage Performance of Ni-Rich Lithium-Ion Batteries by Regulating the Electrode/Electrolyte Interface

Combining the Ni-rich layered cathode (Ni ≥ 80%) with high operating voltage is considered as a feasible solution to achieve high-energy lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). However, the working voltage is limited in practical applications due to the poor interface stability in traditional carbonate electrolytes. Herein, LiBF₄ and LiNO₃ are added as film-forming additives and 1.0 M LiPF₆ in SL/FEC/EMC with 0.5 wt % LiBF₄-LiNO₃ (HVE) is obtained. A uniform and inorganic-rich cathode electrolyte interphase (CEI) as well as a dense and Li₃N-LiF-rich solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) could be in situ generated on LiNi_0.8Co_0.1Mn_0.1O₂ (NCM811) and graphite (Gr) electrode in HVE, respectively. The robust interface film with electronic insulation and ionic conductivity effectively stabilizes the NCM811/Gr-electrolyte interfaces and improves the Li⁺ diffusion kinetics, enabling the high-load NCM811-Gr to maintain 85.2% capacity (∼180 mA h g^-1) after 300 cycles under 4.4 V. Besides, the 4.2 V NCM811-Gr retains 90.4% of the initial capacity after 200 cycles at 2 C (∼6 mA h cm^-2). Compared with the traditional carbonate electrolyte (LB301), HVE has obvious advantages in terms of high-voltage and fast dynamics performance. Especially, good thermal stability and economy make HVE a promising electrolyte for commercial high-energy LIBs.

Synergy Effect of Trimethyl Borate on Protecting High-Voltage Cathode Materials in Dual-Additive Electrolytes

The lack of electrolyte that is stable under high potentials hinders the application of high-voltage cathode materials for lithium batteries; the introduction of electrolyte additives is clearly the most effective solution to address this issue. Herein, we investigated the synergistic effects of trimethyl borate (TMB) in two dual-additive electrolytes on protecting the LiNi_0.8Co_0.1Mn_0.1O₂ and LiCoO₂ cathode materials under high potentials. The interactions of TMB with fluoroethylene carbonate and the catalysis of the decomposition product of TMB to tetramethylene sulfone lower the onset oxidation potential of these additives and are beneficial in forming a stable cathode electrolyte interphase film on the cathode materials. This work sheds light on another way of electrolyte designing for high-voltage cathode materials.

Recent Advances in Silicon-Based Electrodes: From Fundamental Research toward Practical Applications

The increasing demand for higher-energy-density batteries driven by advancements in electric vehicles, hybrid electric vehicles, and portable electronic devices necessitates the development of alternative anode materials with a specific capacity beyond that of traditional graphite anodes. Here, the state-of-the-art developments made in the rational design of Si-based electrodes and their progression toward practical application are presented. First, a comprehensive overview of fundamental electrochemistry and selected critical challenges is given, including their large volume expansion, unstable solid electrolyte interface (SEI) growth, low initial Coulombic efficiency, low areal capacity, and safety issues. Second, the principles of potential solutions including nanoarchitectured construction, surface/interface engineering, novel binder and electrolyte design, and designing the whole electrode for stability are discussed in detail. Third, applications for Si-based anodes beyond LIBs are highlighted, specifically noting their promise in configurations of Li-S batteries and all-solid-state batteries. Fourth, the electrochemical reaction process, structural evolution, and degradation mechanisms are systematically investigated by advanced in situ and operando characterizations. Finally, the future trends and perspectives with an emphasis on commercialization of Si-based electrodes are provided. Si-based anode materials will be key in helping keep up with the demands for higher energy density in the coming decades.

Simple Designed Micro-Nano Si-Graphite Hybrids for Lithium Storage

Up to now, the silicon-graphite anode materials with commercial prospect for lithium batteries (LIBs) still face three dilemmas of the huge volume effect, the poor interface compatibility, and the high resistance. To address the above challenges, micro-nano structured composites of graphite coating by ZnO-incorporated and carbon-coated silicon (marked as Gr@ZnO-Si-C) are reasonably synthesized via an efficient and convenient method of liquid phase self-assembly synthesis combined with annealing treatment. The designed composites of Gr@ZnO-Si-C deliver excellent lithium battery performance with good rate performance and stable long-cycling life of 1000 cycles with reversible capacities of 1150 and 780 mAh g^-1 tested at 600 and 1200 mA g^-1 , respectively. The obtained results reveal that the incorporated ZnO effectively improve the interface compatibility between electrolyte and active materials, and boost the formation of compact and stable surface solid electrolyte interphase layer for electrodes. Furthermore, the pyrolytic carbon layer formed from polyacrylamide can directly improve electrical conductivity, decrease polarization, and thus promote their electrochemical performance. Finally, based on the scalable preparation of Gr@ZnO-Si-C composites, the pouch full cells of Gr@ZnO-Si-C||NCM523 are assembled and used to evaluate the commercial prospects of Si-graphite composites, offering highly useful information for researchers working in the battery industry.

NCA, NCM811, and the Route to Ni-Richer Lithium-Ion Batteries

The aim of this article is to examine the progress achieved in the recent years on two advanced cathode materials for EV Li-ion batteries, namely Ni-rich layered oxides LiNi0.8Co0.15Al0.05O2 (NCA) and LiNi0.8Co0.1Mn0.1O2 (NCM811). Both materials have the common layered (two-dimensional) crystal network isostructural with LiCoO2. The performance of these electrode materials are examined, the mitigation of their drawbacks (i.e., antisite defects, microcracks, surface side reactions) are discussed, together with the prospect on a next generation of Li-ion batteries with Co-free Ni-rich Li-ion batteries.