Li-ion batteries: news, progress, history and background

This is insane! As a long term peer reviewer I read all articles (not only under review) very carefully. From relatively wide observation the only half of the submitted papers might be accepted for further publication. Not counting in this half the articles which need some (more or less) modifications. Indeed, there are almost half of the articles which went through my hands have a very low quality. These include repeating/copying someone else's research, very poor understanding of the obtained results, not willingness, even to try to explain the obtained results, but just referring to previously published articles (from other researchers)  (which means their result is not unique). Since I do not connect with the publishers other than by e-mail as a reviewer or author, I do not know how busy are Journals is to feel the issues. However, I understand that the publishers have to earn some money from what they are doing. Good it or not (very much) for the progress is a big question...

GBL-based electrolyte for Li-ion battery: thermal and electrochemical performance   Journal of Solid State Electrochemistry: Volume 16, Issue 2 (2012), Page 603-615 Thermal stability, flammability, and electrochemical performances of the cyclic carbonate-based electrolytes [where γ-butyrolactone (GBL) is a main component (at least 50 vol.%) among of EC and PC with LiBF 4 ] have been examined in comparison with contemporary (EC/EMC, 1:3 vol.%, 1 M LiPF 6 ) electrolyte by DSC, accelerating rate calorimetry (ARC), AC impedance, and cyclic voltammetry (CV). This study shows that GBL-based electrolytes have perfect thermal stability and will improve Li-ion battery safety (including flammability) without performance trade-off with the accurate combination of active materials and separator. Several types of negative electrode materials (such as hard carbon, MCMB, and SWF) have been tested to evaluate GBL-based electrolyte influence on SEI formation and battery performanc...

from Journal of Solid State Electrochemistry Abstract   Organic ionic plastic crystal (OIPC) electrolytes are among the key enabling materials for solid-state and higher than ambient temperature lithium batteries. This work overviews some of the parameter studies on the Li|OIPC interface using lithium symmetrical cells as well as the optimisation and performance of Li|OIPC|LiFePO 4 cells. The effects of temperature and electrolyte thickness on the cycle performance of the lithium symmetrical cell, particularly with respect to the interfacial and bulk resistances, are demonstrated. Whilst temperature change substantially alters both the interfacial and bulk resistance, changing the electrolyte thickness predominantly changes the bulk resistance only. In addition, an upper limit of the current density is demonstrated, above which irreversible processes related to electrolyte decomposition take place. Here, we demonstrate an excellent discharge capacity attained on LiFePO 4 |...

RSC - J. Mater. Chem. latest articles Nicola Pinna Seung-Ho Yu, Andrea Pucci, Tobias Herntrich, Marc-Georg Willinger, Seung-Hwan Baek, Yung-Eun Sung, Nicola Pinna A one-pot template-free solvothermal synthesis of crystalline Li 4 Ti 5 O 12   nanostructures based on the “benzyl alcohol route” is introduced. The 1–2 µm sized nanostructured spherical particles are constituted of nanocrystallites in the size range of a few nm. This is the first report showing that crystalline Li 4 Ti 5 O 12   can be directly obtained by soft chemistry solution routes. The as-synthesized crystalline nanostructures show good lithium intercalation/deintercalation performances at high rates (up to 30 C) and good cycling stabilities. Annealing the nanostructures at 750 °C improves the performance, which approaches the theoretical capacity of Li 4 Ti 5 O 12   with no noticeable (less than 5%) capacity loss after 200 cycles. (Paper from J. Mater. Chem.) Seung-Ho Yu, J. Mater. Chem., 2011, ...

Fast Lithium-Ion Conducting Thin-Film Electrolytes Integrated Directly on Flexible Substrates for High-Power Solid-State Batteries : By utilizing an equilibrium processing strategy that enables co-firing of oxides and base metals, a means to integrate the lithium -stable fast lithium-ion conductor lanthanum lithium tantalate directly with a thin copper foil current collector appropriate for a solid-state battery is presented. This resulting thin-film electrolyte possesses a room temperature lithium- ion conductivity of 1.5 × 10 −5 S cm −1 , which has the potential to increase the power of a solid-state battery over current state of the art. (Via Advanced Materials ) Related articles Fluoride shuttle increases storage capacity (eurekalert.org)

Image via Wikipedia Image via Wikipedia A breakthrough in components for next-generation batteries could come from special materials that transform their structure to perform better over time. A team of researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy 's Argonne National Laboratory , led by Argonne nanoscientist Tijana Rajh and battery expert Christopher Johnson, discovered that nanotubes composed of titanium dioxide can switch their phase as a battery is cycled, gradually boosting their operational capacity. Laboratory tests showed that new batteries produced with this material could be recharged up to half of their original capacity in less than 30 seconds. By switching out conventional graphite anodes for ones composed of the titanium nanotubes, Rajh and her colleagues witnessed a surprising phenomenon. As the battery cycled through several charges and discharges, its internal structure began to orient itself in a way that dramatically improved the battery's performance. …...

Well-dispersed bi-component-active CoO/CoFe2O4 nanocomposites with tunable performances as anode materials for lithium-ion batteries : Chem. Commun. , 2012, Advance Article DOI : 10.1039/C1CC15322F, Communication Meixia Li, Ya-Xia Yin, Congju Li, Fazhi Zhang, Li-Jun Wan, Sailong Xu, David G. Evans CoO/CoFe 2 O 4 nanocomposites, calcined from hydrotalcite precursors, exhibit tunable cycle performances and rate capabilities underlain by well-dispersed bi-component active phases. To cite this article before page numbers are assigned, use the DOI form of citation above. The content of this RSS Feed (c) The Royal Society of Chemistry (Via RSC - Chem. Commun. latest articles ) Related articles Graphene nanocomposite a bridge to better batteries (sciencedaily.com) Scientists Discover Promising Experimental Nanocomposite Fire Retardant (azonano.com) Graphene-based nanocomposite to boost battery performance (news.bioscholar.com) NaturalNano Receives Allowance for Crucia...

Bendy batteries a step closer 25 February 2011 Scientists from Korea have found that with the use of graphene nanosheets, the fabrication of bendable power sources is possible.  Electronic devices are no longer confined to the home or office. We travel with them, carry them around and even wear them. To make equipment like roll-up displays and wearable devices achievable, the power source that supplies them must also become more flexible.  The major challenge of developing a truly bendable power source has been the shortage of material that is both highly flexible and has superior electronic conductivity. Polymers are typically used, but they can degrade at relatively low temperatures, which makes them less than ideal.  Kisuk Kang from the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology in Daejon, and colleagues, have developed a graphene based hybrid electrode producing a flexible lithium rechargeable battery. The cathode material, in this case V2O5, is grown on graphene paper usi...

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Article in Journal of Materials Chemistry titled as Flexible and planar graphene conductive additives for lithium-ion batteries and describes yet another graphene application in Li ion batteries. Authors claimed that Graphene is introduced into a lithium-ion battery (LIB) as a type of novel but powerful planar conductive additive and the flexible graphene-based conducting network is characterized by a novel “plane-to-point” conducting mode with exceptional electron transport properties and unique geometrical nature (a soft and ultrathin planar structure). With a much lower fraction of graphene additives than those of commercial carbon based additives, the graphene-introduced LiFePO4 cathode shows better charge/discharge performance than commercial cases. Graphene also shows a better performance compared to carbon nanotubes, another type of novel conductive additive with similar fractions. These results present us an indication that graphene will possibly find early application...

Angewandte Chemie International Edition Volume 49 Issue 12, Pages 2146 - 2149 Hyejung Kim, Minho Seo, Mi-Hee Park, Jaephil Cho, Prof. * School of Energy Engineering and Converging Research Center for Innovative Battery Technologies, Ulsan National Institute of Science & Technology, Ulsan, 689-798 (Korea) http://jpcho.com KEYWORDS batteries • carbon • electrochemistry • lithium • silicon ABSTRACT Well-dispersed Si nanocrystals with sizes of approximately 5, 10, and 20 nm were prepared in reverse micelles at high pressure and 380 °C and investigated as anode materials for lithium batteries. The 10 nm sized nanocrystals show a first charge capacity y of 3380 mAh g-1 and the highest capacity retention of 81 % after 40 cycles, which can be increased to 96 % by carbon coating (see picture). Received: 8 November 2009; Revised: 27 December 2009 (DOI) 10.1002/anie.200906287 source: http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/123295109/abstract