Next-Generation Materials and Advanced Characterisation Techniques for Practical Li-Ion Batteries

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Department of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology, Technische Universität Ilmenau, 98693 Ilmenau, Germany
Interests: electrochemistry; physical chemistry; energy storage; electroplating; functional materials; corrosion; conductive polymers; nucleation and growth

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We cordially invite you to submit your manuscripts to the Special Issue “Next-Generation Materials and Advanced Characterisation Techniques for Practical Li-Ion Batteries”.

Owing to a number of important advantages (e.g., high specific capacity, high voltage and efficiency, good cycling stability), lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) have dominated the market for energy storage systems. During the last decade, their application area has broadened far beyond the usual implementation in portable electronic devices, and is currently expanding significantly in industry sectors like electromobility, stationary storage of renewable energies, smart grids, etc. Nevertheless, the new conditions of LIB operation require a higher degree of performance, where factors like high energy and power density, fast charging, good mechanical stability, low cost, long cycle life, safety and minimal environmental impact are increasingly gaining in importance.

Since LIBs’ invention, great advances have been accomplished at the material level, including the development of high-performance cathodes, electrochemically stable and safe electrolytes, and promising anode materials which are functionally superior to the commonly used graphite. Even though the gained new knowledge has potentially enabled the progress to commercially applicable next-generation LIB technologies, there is still need for improvement to achieve final technology readiness. In this context, the results have not been satisfactory, since not enough practical application relevant to industrial needs has been demonstrated by the research.

Herewith, we aim to provide a number of scientific discussions which have the ambition to highlight the practical significance of advanced LIB materials by reporting on their relevant properties and to demonstrate the benefits of their possible applications in new-generation functionable LIBs. The scientific scope of the Special Issue comprises (but is not strictly limited to) the following topics:

  • Novel functionable active materials with potential practical significance (advanced cathodes based on NMC and LFP, silicon-based materials, etc.);
  • New-generation electrolytes and their properties (conductivity, stability, electrochemical window, safety, ionic liquid based, solid electrolytes, etc.);
  • Efficient coating technologies that can substitute the conventional slurry-based process (ultrathick active material coatings, electrochemical deposition, electrophoretic deposition, 3D printing, etc.);
  • Anode-free Li-metal batteries (practical anode current collectors and full-cell performance);
  • Advanced current collectors for practical LIBs (benefits from their properties, corrosion and corrosion inhibition, low thickness and weight, morphology);
  • Applicable modern techniques for the characterisation of practically relevant parameters of LIBs and LIB materials, monitoring of safety, ageing and in situ mechanical properties (electrochemical dilatometry, measurements under external pressure, impedance-based methods, acoustic signal detection, etc.).

In their planned manuscripts, along with the broad variety of properties, authors are expected to focus also on parameters that demonstrate the significance of the materials and the corresponding full cell performance for the specific practical application.

Dr. Svetlozar Dimitrov Ivanov
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Batteries is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • advanced LIB materials with practical impact
  • efficient coating technologies for LIBs
  • new-generation electrolytes
  • practical and low-cost characterisation techniques

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

13 pages, 4596 KiB  
Article
Synchrotron-Based X-ray Photoelectron Microscopy of LMO/LAGP/Cu Thin-Film Solid-State Lithium Metal Batteries
by Majid Kazemian, Matteo Amati, Luca Gregoratti, Maya Kiskinova and Benedetto Bozzini
Batteries 2023, 9(10), 506; https://doi.org/10.3390/batteries9100506 - 9 Oct 2023
Viewed by 2227
Abstract
Solid-state batteries (SSB), characterized by solid-state electrolytes—in particular inorganic ones (ISSE)—are an ideal option for the safe implementation of metallic Li anodes. Even though SSBs with ISSEs have been extensively investigated over the last two decades, they still exhibit a series of technological [...] Read more.
Solid-state batteries (SSB), characterized by solid-state electrolytes—in particular inorganic ones (ISSE)—are an ideal option for the safe implementation of metallic Li anodes. Even though SSBs with ISSEs have been extensively investigated over the last two decades, they still exhibit a series of technological drawbacks. In fact, mechano-chemical issues, mainly the stability of the electrolyte/anode interface, hinder their widespread application. The present investigation focusses on a thin-film LMO (Lithium-Manganese-Oxide)/LAGP (LiAlGe Phosphate)/Copper, anodeless Lithium-metal battery and explores the morphochemical evolution of the electrode/electrolyte interfaces with synchrotron-based Scanning Photoelectron Microscopy (SPEM) of intact pristine and cycled cells. Chemical images were acquired with submicrometer resolution, to highlight the coupled geometrical and chemical-state changes caused by electrochemical ageing. Geometrical changes of the electrolyte/cathode interface were induced by periodic volume changes, causing de-cohesion of the solid-solid contact, but no chemical-state changes accompany the cathodic damaging mode. Instead, shape changes of the electrolyte/anode region pinpoint the correlation between mechanical damaging with the decomposition of the LAGP ISSE, due to the reduction of Ge, triggered by the contact with elemental Li. The micro-spectroscopic approach adopted in this study enabled the assessment of the highly localized nature of the cathodic and anodic degradation modes in SSB devices and to single out the chemical and mechanical contributions. Full article
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11 pages, 4736 KiB  
Article
Li-Ion Cell Safety Monitoring Using Mechanical Parameters, Part 3: Battery Behaviour during Abusive Overcharge
by Angel Kirchev, Nicolas Guillet, Loic Lonardoni and Sebastien Dumenil
Batteries 2023, 9(7), 338; https://doi.org/10.3390/batteries9070338 - 21 Jun 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1736
Abstract
The electrochemical and mechanical behaviour of 18,650 Li-ion cells subjected to abusive overcharge has been studied in constant current and constant voltage mode. The results from the cell deformation monitoring via a rectangular rosette strain gauges indicate an over-swelling process starting shortly after [...] Read more.
The electrochemical and mechanical behaviour of 18,650 Li-ion cells subjected to abusive overcharge has been studied in constant current and constant voltage mode. The results from the cell deformation monitoring via a rectangular rosette strain gauges indicate an over-swelling process starting shortly after the cell voltage increases above 4.2 V. The acoustic ultrasound interrogation measurement and data treatment using clustering and mapping software, carried out in parallel, showed an abnormal evolution of the signals’ power density spectral patterns, suggesting changes in the structure of the cell jellyroll induced by the overcharge reactions. The increase in cell skin temperature due to the overcharge process starts considerably later. The results suggest that the monitoring of the mechanical behaviour of cylindrical-format Li-ion cells can be used for the detection and alerting of early overcharge safety events. Full article
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