UT Dallas researchers have identified the cause of LiNiO₂ battery degradation and developed a structural reinforcement method that could enable its commercial use in longer-lasting lithium-ion batteries.
Lithium nickel oxide (LiNiO₂) is a promising material for next-generation lithium-ion batteries with longer lifespans. However, its commercialization has been hindered by degradation after repeated charging cycles.
Researchers at the University of Texas at Dallas have identified the cause of this breakdown and are testing a solution that could overcome a major obstacle to its widespread use. Their findings were recently published din the journal Advanced Energy Materials.
The team aims to first produce LiNiO₂ batteries in the lab and eventually collaborate with an industry partner to bring the technology to market.
“The degradation of batteries made using LiNiO2 has been a problem for decades, but the cause was not well understood,” said Dr. Kyeongjae Cho, professor of materials science and engineering in the Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science and director of the Batteries and Energy to Advance Commercialization and National Security (BEACONS) program. “Now that we have a clear understanding of why this happens, we’re working on a solution so the technology can be used to provide longer battery life in a range of products including phones and electric vehicles.”
The research is a project of UTD’s BEACONS initiative, which launched in 2023 with $30 million from the Department of Defense. The BEACONS mission is to develop and commercialize new battery technology and manufacturing processes; enhance the domestic availability of critical raw materials; and train high-quality workers for jobs in an expanding battery-energy storage workforce.
Computational Analysis of Battery Breakdown
To determine why LiNiO2 batteries break down during the last phase of charging, UT Dallas researchers analyzed the process using computational modeling. The study involved understanding chemical reactions and the redistribution of electrons through materials at the atomic level.
In lithium-ion batteries, electrical current flows out of a conductor called the cathode, which is a positive electrode, into an anode, a negative electrode. The anode typically is made of carbon graphite, which holds lithium at a higher potential.
During discharge, the lithium ions return to the cathode through the electrolyte and send electrons back to the lithium-containing cathode, as an electrochemical reaction that generates electricity. Cathodes typically are made of a mixture of materials that includes cobalt, a scarce material that scientists aim to replace with alternatives, including lithium nickel oxide.
The UTD researchers found that a chemical reaction involving oxygen atoms in LiNiO2 causes the material to become unstable and crack. To resolve the issue, they developed a theoretical solution that reinforces the material by adding a positively charged ion, or cation, to alter the material’s properties, creating “pillars” to strengthen the cathode.
Matthew Bergschneider, a materials science and engineering doctoral student and first author of the study, has been setting up a robotics-based lab to manufacture battery prototypes to explore high-throughput synthesis processes of the designed pillared LiNiO2 cathodes. The robotic features will assist with synthesizing, evaluating, and characterizing the materials.
“We’ll make a small amount at first and refine the process,” said Bergschneider, a Eugene McDermott Graduate Fellow. “Then, we will scale up the material synthesis and manufacture hundreds of batteries per week at the BEACONS facility. These are all stepping stones to commercialization.”
Reference: “Mechanical Degradation by Anion Redox in LiNiO2 Countered via Pillaring” by Matthew Bergschneider, Fantai Kong, Patrick Conlin, Taesoon Hwang, Seok-Gwang Doo and Kyeongjae Cho, 10 December 2024, Advanced Energy Materials.
DOI: 10.1002/aenm.202403837
