Recent progresses in battery management systems and energy density have favored the deployment of lithium-ion batteries as the leading electrochemical energy storage systems [1]. However, existing battery chemistries are still far from meeting the high-power demand on electric vehicles, where charging the batteries at a comparable speed to refilling the fuel remains a burden to the public which hinders its mainstream adoption. To tackle this problem, the US Department of Energy has launched a plan to develop extreme fast charging (XFC) technology that targets to add 200 miles of driving range in 10 mins for electric vehicles [2].

The major obstacle to battery fast charging lies in the graphite anode which is widely employed in commercial lithium-ion batteries. It has a limited solid-state diffusivity for lithium ions and is subjected to substantial degradation at high C-rates [3, 4]. Hence, many alternative battery anode materials are under investigation for fast charging applications [5].

Owing to its excellent rate capability at up to 50C [6], Niobium pentoxide (Nb₂O₅) is an emerging and promising anode material for lithium-ion batteries and supercapacitors [7-9]. In this work, we investigate the potential of niobium pentoxide for electrochemical energy storage through material synthesis, multiscale characterization and electrochemical modeling. Nb₂O₅ nanoparticles prepared via a hydrothermal method are converted into electrode slurry and tested in coin cells at different C-rates, using a commercial Nb₂O₅ powder as a benchmark. Concurrently, an electrochemical model is developed to parameterize the lithium-ion batteries with niobium pentoxide electrode using an open-source battery model platform PybaMM. Eventually, the dominating physicochemical properties of the Nb₂O₅ electrode can be characterized and used to predict the electrical and thermal responses of the scaled-up cylindrical and pouch cells with a Nb₂O₅ anode.

References

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[2] Yang X-G, Liu T, Gao Y, Ge S, Leng Y, Wang D, et al. Asymmetric Temperature Modulation for Extreme Fast Charging of Lithium-Ion Batteries. Joule. 2019;3:3002-19.

[3] Finegan DP, Quinn A, Wragg DS, Colclasure AM, Lu X, Tan C, et al. Spatial dynamics of lithiation and lithium plating during high-rate operation of graphite electrodes. Energy & Environmental Science. 2020;13:2570-84.

[4] Paul PP, Thampy V, Cao C, Steinrück H-G, Tanim TR, Dunlop AR, et al. Quantification of heterogeneous, irreversible lithium plating in extreme fast charging of lithium-ion batteries. Energy & Environmental Science. 2021;14:4979-88.

[5] Nitta N, Wu F, Lee JT, Yushin G. Li-ion battery materials: present and future. Materials Today. 2015;18:252-64.

[6] Lübke M, Sumboja A, Johnson ID, Brett DJL, Shearing PR, Liu Z, et al. High power nano-Nb2O5 negative electrodes for lithium-ion batteries. Electrochim Acta. 2016;192:363-9.

[7] Nico C, Monteiro T, Graça MPF. Niobium oxides and niobates physical properties: Review and prospects. Prog Mater Sci. 2016;80:1-37.

[8] Lubimtsev AA, Kent PRC, Sumpter BG, Ganesh P. Understanding the origin of high-rate intercalation pseudocapacitance in Nb2O5 crystals. Journal of Materials Chemistry A. 2013;1.

[9] Schäfer H, Gruehn R, Schulte F. The Modifications of Niobium Pentoxide. Angewandte Chemie International Edition in English. 1966;5:40-52.