Cobalt-free Single Crystal Layered Cathode Materials for Lithium-Ion Batteries

锂离子电池（LIB）是用于能量存储和转换的有前途的电化学存储（EES）技术，特别是用于能量电网存储和电动汽车，因为它们提供比传统技术更高的效率、更高的能量密度和更长的循环寿命。尽管在室温下具有稳定的循环寿命，但商业LIB含有有毒的钴基阴极（LiCoO 2），并且其在高截止电压和高温测试下的性能是不够的。应用于大规模LIB的阴极材料的主要要求是应包含较便宜且低毒性的材料而不牺牲其电化学性能。此外，用于LIB阴极材料合成的常规共沉淀方法将非常大量的有毒副产物排放到环境中。因此，必须设计一种低成本和毒性较小的阴极材料，该材料可以在高电压和高温操作下提供高稳定性和倍率性能。此外，传统的多晶阴极材料在充放电过程中由于各向异性应力的作用，会发生严重的结构变化，影响其长期稳定性，因此也应该引起人们的关注。因此，拟议项目的目标是以生态友好的方式开发用于LIB的环境友好的无钴单晶层状阴极材料。这些新型单晶阴极材料适用于高电压应用，因为它们对电化学反应期间的微裂纹和结构变化非常稳健。滑铁卢大学的Zhongwei Chen博士的团队将与两家领先的工程部件制造商Pro-Flange和Canadian Solar合作，使用闭环，最小废物合成方法设计和制备结构稳定的单晶层状金属氧化物阴极材料。最终，该项目将帮助加拿大锂电池制造商以更低的成本和更小的环境影响，为加拿大及其他地区的电动汽车和电网储能应用生产大规模电池。此外，该项目将提供丰富培训经验的机会。

Lithium-ion batteries (LIB) are promising electrochemical storage (EES) techniques for energy storage and conversion especially for energy grid storage and electric vehicles as they offer higher efficiency, higher energy density and longer cycle life than conventional technologies. Despite delivering stable cycle life at room temperature, commercial LIBs contain toxic cobalt-based cathodes (LiCoO2) and its performance at high cut-off voltages and high-temperature testing is not adequate. The main requirement for cathode materials to be applied in large scale LIBs is that should contain less expensive and low toxic materials without sacrificing its electrochemical performance. In addition, conventional co-precipitation methods used for LIB cathode materials synthesis discharge toxic by-products to the environment in very large quantities. Therefore, it is essential to design a low cost and less toxic cathode materials that can deliver high stability and rate performance at both high voltages and temperature operation. Besides, the focuses should also be made to replace the conventional polycrystalline cathode materials, which undergo severe structural alterations during the charge-discharge process due to the anisotropic stress, affecting its long-term stability. Hence, the proposed project targets the development of environmentally benign cobalt-free single crystal layered cathode materials for LIBs in an eco-friendly way. These novel single crystal cathode materials are suitable for high voltage applications as they are very robust against microcracks and structural changes during the electrochemical reactions. Dr. Zhongwei Chen's group at the University of Waterloo will work with two leading manufacturers of engineered parts, Pro-Flange, and Canadian Solar to design and prepare structurally stable, single crystal, layered metal oxide cathode materials for LIB applications using a closed-loop, minimal waste synthesis method. Ultimately, the project will help enable Canadian LIB manufacturers to produce large scale batteries for the applications of electric vehicles and energy grid storage in Canada and beyond, at a lower cost and with less environmental impact. Moreover, this project will offer opportunities for enriched training experiences.