Lithium-ion batteries have been a mainstay of the consumer electronics industries for nearly 25 years. Unlike many older energy storage systems, lithium-ion does not describe a specific chemistry but a family of chemistries and a mechanism of operation. As a result numerous types of materials are under the umbrella of lithium-ion batteries that can be modified and developed to meet a variety of end-user goals. Looking beyond-lithium ion, the landscape is less understood and explored.

One promising area of Beyond-Lithium-Ion research has been magnesium-based systems. In this presentation we will explore the relationship between materials structure, electrolyte, and synthesis. Specific examples will be drawn from the multivalent work done by JCESR, an Energy Innovation Hub under the Department of Energy’s Office of Science. Insertion cathode materials including layered molybdates, vanadates, and related materials will be compared and contrasted to other potential host frameworks to assess limits in electrochemical performance that are driven by interfacial structure and electrolyte interactions^1-5.

Figure 1. Characterization of the as made Ca ion-exchanged Na_xCoO₂ samples with different calcium contents. The figure shows the normalized Ca XANES, indicated by solid lines, showing the sensitivity of this method to the concentration of calcium in the layered cobaltate. CaCO₃ (orange, short dash) is included for comparison since Ca_0.6CoO₂ is expected to have CaCO₃ impurities. Ca(PF₆)₂ (pink, long dash) is included to show that the discriminating features are well placed as compared to the Ca_xCoO₂ spectrum. Each spectrum is offset by an additional -0.5 on the y axis, with the exception of CaCO₃ and Ca(PF₆)₂. Composition was measured by EDS. (from ref 5).

References

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