Tripling the Energy Density of Insertion-Type Electrode Materials for Rechargeable Alkali-Ion Batteries By Introducing Carefully Selected Dopants

Bresser, Dominic

Targeting continuously increasing energy and power densities for the next generations of rechargeable alkali-ion batteries like lithium-ion and sodium-ion batteries (LIBs and SIBs), researchers worldwide are trying to develop new electrode materials which are capable of hosting more lithium/sodium ions per unit weight or volume.^[1]–[4] Ideally, these new materials also allow for a fast delithiation/desodiation and, even more important, lithiation/sodiation, i.e., the charge step. This is a particular challenge for insertion-type materials, which are commonly used at present in commercial LIBs. In fact, it is frequently written that the insertion mechanism sets an intrinsic limit to the achievable lithium storage capacity.

Herein, we show that the introduction of carefully selected dopants provides the chance to double or even triple the capacity of insertion-type lithium- and sodium-ion anodes. Based on an in-depth characterization down to the atomic scale, we will moreover provide general guidelines for achieving such improvement and, eventually, present also their employment in high-performance lithium-ion and sodium-ion full-cells, offering an outstanding combination of high energy and high power, as shown in Figure 1 and Table 1.^[5]–[12]

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