Novel high-capacity and stable anode materials for Li-ion batteries

Application

• Portable consumer electronics
• Electric vehicles and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles
• Large-scale energy storage
• Aerospace industry

Development Status

• Undergoing validation

IP Status

• Priority patent application filed 2020 (PCT -WO2021245382A1)

Commercial Offerings

• Technology available for collaborative research and/or licensing

Opportunity

Due to the ever-increasing demand for electrical energy storage, improvements to Li-ion battery technology have great potential for applications in portable consumer electronics and can have a major impact on the de-carbonisation of transport through the widespread use of electric vehicles and large-scale energy storage required for renewable energy generation, as well as growing applications in the aerospace industry and critical infrastructure.

The new materials offer stable anode materials with increased capacity and power density over conventional carbon-based anode materials such as graphite. The new anode family materials use earth-abundant metal halides offering a low-cost, non-toxic alternative that can be readily adopted in existing Li-ion battery technologies.

Technology

The new materials are based on hybrid perovskite-like iodo-bismuthates consisting of a low toxicity metal halide negative ion and an organic counter-ion (heterocyclic cation). The new hybrid anode materials increase the storage of Li ions per anode cell via an alloying mechanism (insertion of Li ions into the crystal structure of the electrode) and have a higher capacity (15 Li ions per Bi ion). This results in higher energy density which will enable the batteries to be lighter.

The family of materials offer a potentially tuneable series of new compounds to be used as anodes in Li-ion batteries since the counter ion can be further varied across a range of many other organic cations. The structural diversity and tuneability gives great potential to enhance material capacity and adjust electrode performance for different applications, which is not possible for inorganic materials.

Benefits

• High capacity, excellent cycle stability as well as high energy power and density
• Use of earth-abundant metal halides offering a low-cost, non-toxic alternative
• Offer extensive property tuning through changing the composition
• Can be readily adopted in existing Li-ion battery technologies

Publications

WO2021245382A1 - Group 15 metal halide salt electrodes

Kingshuk Roy, Tianyue Li, Satishchandra Ogale and Neil Robertson, “Hybrid perovskite-like iodobismuthates as low-cost and stable anode materials for lithium-ion battery applications”, Journal of Materials Chemistry, 2021, DOI: 10.1039/D0TA07414D.

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Quote: TEC1104198