A Novel Lithium Ion Battery Combining a Sustainable CuO-Carbon Conversion Anode with a High Voltage Li0.85Ni0.46Cu0.1Mn1.49O4 cathode

The development of novel cell configurations represents a key step towards a lithium ion batteries technology able to meet the increasing global energy demand.

The search for sustainable and low cost electrode materials exhibiting high specific capacity, efficiency and stability is a longstanding goal of electrochemistry⁽¹⁾.

In this respect, the replacement of conventional intercalation anodes with transition metal oxides reacting by conversion mechanisms is a promising, cheap approach to increase the cell specific capacity⁽²⁾. Furthermore, the exploitation of cobalt-free, manganese spinel-structure materials at the cathode side is expected to overcome the problems deriving from the high cost and relatively low operating voltage of the presently most used LiCoO₂ electrodes.

Here we propose an alternative lithium ion battery combining an easily prepared, eco-compatible CuO-MCMB (Meso Carbon Micro Beads) conversion anode⁽³⁾ (Theoretical capacity:  520 mAh g^-1) with a high voltage, Li_0.85Ni_0.46Cu_0.1Mn_1.49O₄ spinel-structure cathode⁽⁴⁾ (Theoretical capacity: 146 mAh g^-1), using propylene carbonate (PC), LiPF₆ electrolyte solution.

Both the anode, prepared by high energy ball milling, and the cathode, obtained by co-precipitation and solid state reaction, exhibit optimized morphologies that lead to good electrochemical responses in terms of stability, efficiency and rate-capability. The electrodes structures and morphologies are analyzed by X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy, respectively, while their electrochemical behaviors in cell are investigated by means of potentiodinamic cycling with galvanostatic acceleration (PCGA) and galvanostatic cycling tests at different C-rates.

The novel electrode combination here disclosed results in a full lithium ion battery characterized by an operating voltage of 3.4 V, a stable capacity of 90 mA h g^-1 and a coulombic efficiency higher than 95% (see Figure below), with estimated gravimetric and volumetric energy densities of about 100 Wh/kg and 220 Wh/l, respectively.

The rationale of this cell configuration lies in the employment of sustainable, low-cost and easily prepared electrode materials that make the battery particularly suitable for practical exploitation.

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