Month: March 2019

22. Ni rich NCM (cathodes): how we got it, why we use it and how to keep it stable

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Recent twist in the capacity fade mechanism of Ni rich NMC

NCM622 capacity fade paper from Brookhaven National Lab

Currently accepted cathode dogma preaches the root cause of capacity fade in Ni rich NMC is the irreversible phase change of the active material crystalline structure. However, recent findings challenge the status quo. Listen to my podcast to learn more.

20. Stable lithium plating with 3x capacity of commercial Li-ion cells… apparently possible @Stanford

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Stable cycling of lithium metal anodes

Paper link

Yi Cui’s web page

Past podcast on lithium ion separators

The Holy Grail of anodes is a lithium metal anode. Taming this temperamental beast has been unsuccessful so far, but it is bound to change. In this podcast I discuss a composite separator membrane which enables plating lithium with 3x the speed and 3x the quantity (capacity) of commercial lithium ion cells.

19. Can we bypass the energy – fast charge compromise?

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How to break a compromise

Fast charge is limited by the reduction (lithiation) potential and nature of the anode. If charged too fast, graphite anodes may be plated with lithium metal because their lithiation potential is too close to the plating potential of lithium. Faster charge can be accomplished with anodes which lithiate at higher potentials (such as NTO). The trade-off is lower cell energy since there will be a smaller voltage difference between anode and cathode. However, there are anode materials which may bypass this energy – fast charge compromise. Listen to my podcast to learn more.