Both Tesla and the Government of the United States have listed the elimination of cobalt and the resilience of the battery cathode supply chain as critical issues in need of advancement ^1,2. This investigation answered this call to action through scaling the production of a high-performance cobalt free lithium excess cathode material using rotary calcination. The cathode in this investigation is of the chemical series Li[Ni_xLi_(1/3-2x/3)Mn_(2/3-x/3)]O₂ (where x = 0.25), and to our knowledge this marks the first time an investigation has demonstrated the scaling of this class of materials. In order to achieve the several orders of magnitude increase in production scale the precursor feedstock for rotary calcination required comparison of sol-gel, Pechini, and solid-state precursors routes. Viability of each precursor synthesis route required comparison of synthesis time, synthesis complexity, Thermogravimetric Analysis, Dynamic Scanning Calorimetry, X-Ray Diffraction of intermediate and final materials, as well as Galvanostatic cycling of final cathode materials. Modification and controlled decomposition of sol-gel processing was ultimately used for the scaled production of precursor powders. Once the precursor feedstocks were fed through the rotary kiln we used X-Ray Diffraction, X-Ray Fluorescence, Galvanostatic Testing, and Scanning Electron Microscopy of resultant materials to optimize rotary calcination conditions to find the pareto optimal conditions that allowed for maximized material quality, and output, with minimized energy and time costs. These materials were also compared to our baseline material, which was made in a box furnace in ambient conditions over the course of 24 hours. Synthesis conditions were also modified to allow for the inclusion rapid water quenching of final scaled material to ensure material quality.

Sources:

1. F. C. for A. Batteries, National blueprint for lithium batteries 2021–2030, (2021).
2. E. Musk and R. Denholm, UPDATES TO 2020 ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS AND BATTERY DAY EVENT, (2020).