PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Hidden cause of lithium-rich cathode materials’ low energy efficiency revealed

Asymmetric reaction pathways are key

Hidden cause of lithium-rich cathode materials’ low energy efficiency revealed
2024-01-18
(Press-News.org)

1. A research team consisting of the National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS) and Softbank Corp. has found that voltage hysteresis in Li2RuO3—a high-energy-density rechargeable battery cathode material—is caused by differences in the intermediate crystalline phases formed during charge and discharge processes. Voltage hysteresis is a phenomenon detrimental to lithium (Li)-ion batteries in which discharge voltage becomes significantly lower than charge voltage. These results revealed a voltage-hysteresis-causing mechanism inconsistent with conventional theory.

 

2. Li-rich electrode materials are capable of storing larger amounts of Li ions than conventional Li-ion battery cathode materials (e.g., LiCoO2) and Li ions can be stably extracted from and inserted into them. In addition, the energy capacity of these materials (> 300 mAh/g) is approximately twice that of conventional cathode materials. Because of these desirable characteristics, Li-rich electrode materials have been researched as viable candidates for next-generation, high-energy-density Li-ion battery cathode materials. They also have a disadvantage, however: poor charge/discharge energy efficiency due to large voltage hysteresis occurring during charge and discharge.

 

3. It has been widely accepted by the scientific community that voltage hysteresis in Li-rich electrode materials results from irreversible changes in their crystalline structures during charge and discharge. This research team focused on Li2RuO3 as a model Li-rich electrode material and closely observed changes in its crystalline structure while it was being charged and discharged. Its crystalline structure was found to change reversibly, not irreversibly—it recovered its initial pre-charge crystalline structure by the end of the subsequent discharge. During this charge/discharge cycle, voltage hysteresis was observed in Li2RuO3 despite the absence of irreversible crystalline structure changes—a result contrary to conventional theory. The team then closely analyzed crystalline structure changes in an Li2RuO3 electrode while it was being charged and discharged using various advanced analytical instruments. These analyses revealed a discrepancy in the intermediate crystal phase formed during the charge and discharge processes causing the voltage hysteresis. In other words, voltage hysteresis within a Li-rich electrode material appears to be attributed to different reaction pathways rather than irreversible crystalline structure changes.

 

***

 

4. Based on these results, the research team plans to evaluate Li-rich electrode materials while focusing on chemical reaction pathways during charge and discharge cycles in addition to measuring voltage hysteresis. This approach is expected to expedite the development of Li-rich electrode materials that will satisfy both high capacity and high charge/discharge energy efficiency requirements.

 

5. This research was carried out by a research team led by Marcela Calpa (Researcher, NIMS), Kei Kubota (Senior Researcher, NIMS), Shoichi Matsuda (Team Leader, NIMS) and Kazunori Takada (Research Fellow, NIMS; also Director, NIMS-SoftBank Advanced Technologies Development Center) at the NIMS-SoftBank Advanced Technologies Development Center.

 

6. This research was published in Energy Storage Materials, an online journal, on November 6, 2023, Japan Time.

END


[Attachments] See images for this press release:
Hidden cause of lithium-rich cathode materials’ low energy efficiency revealed Hidden cause of lithium-rich cathode materials’ low energy efficiency revealed 2

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Next-generation batteries could go organic, cobalt-free for long-lasting power

2024-01-18
In the switch to “greener” energy sources, the demand for rechargeable lithium-ion batteries is surging. However, their cathodes typically contain cobalt — a metal whose extraction has high environmental and societal costs. Now, researchers in ACS Central Science report evaluating an earth-abundant, carbon-based cathode material that could replace cobalt and other scarce and toxic metals without sacrificing lithium-ion battery performance. Today, lithium-ion batteries power everything from cell phones to laptops to electric vehicles. One of the limiting factors for realizing a global shift to energy produced by renewable sources — particularly for the transition ...

FAU Engineering receives $2.6 million NSF grant for CyberCorps student scholarship program

FAU Engineering receives $2.6 million NSF grant for CyberCorps student scholarship program
2024-01-18
The College of Engineering and Computer Science of Florida Atlantic University received a $2.6 million grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to establish a scholarship program in the burgeoning and critical field of cybersecurity. The NSF’s CyberCorps® Scholarship for Service program seeks to increase the number of qualified cybersecurity professionals working for federal, state, local, territorial and tribal governments. The program is managed by the NSF in collaboration with the United States Office of Personnel Management and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. FAU is one of only six universities ...

AI harnesses tumor genetics to predict treatment response

AI harnesses tumor genetics to predict treatment response
2024-01-18
In a groundbreaking study published on January 18, 2024, in Cancer Discovery, scientists at University of California San Diego School of Medicine leveraged a machine learning algorithm to tackle one of the biggest challenges facing cancer researchers: predicting when cancer will resist chemotherapy. All cells, including cancer cells, rely on complex molecular machinery to replicate DNA as part of normal cell division. Most chemotherapies work by disrupting this DNA replication machinery in rapidly dividing tumor ...

AMS 2024 Annual Meeting highlights climate challenges and solutions

2024-01-18
[Boston, MA—January 18, 2023]  The American Meteorological Society’s (AMS) 104th Annual Meeting will gather thousands of people at the Baltimore Convention Center 28 January–1 February to attend the world’s largest annual meeting focused on weather, water, and climate. The AMS is the professional society for everyone in the atmospheric and hydrologic sciences and services, including meteorologists, research scientists, emergency managers, academics, weather broadcasters, and more. “The theme of our 104th Annual Meeting is ‘Living in a Changing Environment,’” says AMS President Brad Colman. “It’s ...

Tackling antibiotic resistance when treating pneumonia

2024-01-18
New research has been published that identifies positive steps towards a better understanding of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), specifically in hospital-acquired pneumonia (HAP). Antimicrobial, or antibiotic resistance, is a growing global issue, yet little is known about how to dose antibiotics to minimise bacteria developing resistance in patients. However, the University of Liverpool is playing a key role in contributing to international efforts to better understand AMR. In a paper published today (Thursday 18 January), ...

Stuck in traffic: Researchers identify cellular traffic jams in a rare disease

2024-01-18
Researchers from McGill University, led by Professor Alanna Watt of the Department of Biology, have identified previously unknown changes in brain cells affected by a neurological disease. Their research, published in eLife, could pave the way to future treatments for the disease. Spinocerebellar ataxia type 6, known as SCA6, is a rare neurological disease that disrupts the function in a part of the brain called the cerebellum, causing difficulties with movement and coordination. The condition results from genetic mutations, ...

Study examines substance use in first responders during the COVID-19 pandemic

Study examines substance use in first responders during the COVID-19 pandemic
2024-01-18
Considerable attention has focused on burnout and mental health of physicians and nurses on the frontline during the COVID-19 pandemic. First responders – law enforcement personnel, firefighters and emergency medical service (EMS) providers, also experienced increased levels of stress, anxiety and depression due to job-related pressures associated with the pandemic. Given their exposure to work-related stress during this time, first responders may have been at considerable risk of developing problematic substance use. However, little is known about the factors associated with first responder drug and alcohol use during the pandemic.  A study by Florida ...

Lighting the path: Exploring exciton binding energies in organic semiconductors

Lighting the path: Exploring exciton binding energies in organic semiconductors
2024-01-18
Organic semiconductors are a class of materials that find applications in various electronic devices owing to their unique properties. One attribute that influences the optoelectronic property of these organic semiconductors is their "exciton binding energy," which is the energy needed to divide an exciton into its negative and positive constituents. Since high binding energies can have a significant impact on the functioning of optoelectronic devices, low binding energies are desirable. This can help in reducing energy losses in devices like organic solar cells. While several methods for designing organic materials with low binding energies have ...

Unlocking the secrets of quasicrystal magnetism: revealing a novel magnetic phase diagram

Unlocking the secrets of quasicrystal magnetism: revealing a novel magnetic phase diagram
2024-01-18
Quasicrystals are intermetallic materials that have garnered significant attention from researchers aiming to advance condensed matter physics understanding. Unlike normal crystals, in which atoms are arranged in an ordered repeating pattern, quasicrystals have non-repeating ordered patterns of atoms. Their unique structure leads to many exotic and interesting properties, which are particularly useful for practical applications in spintronics and magnetic refrigeration. A unique quasicrystal variant, known as the Tsai-type icosahedral quasicrystal (iQC) and their cubic approximant crystals (ACs), display intriguing characteristics. These include long-range ferromagnetic (FM) ...

DNA construction led to unexpected discovery of important cell function

2024-01-18
Researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden have used DNA origami, the art of folding DNA into desired structures, to show how an important cell receptor can be activated in a previously unknown way. The result opens new avenues for understanding how the Notch signalling pathway works and how it is involved in several serious diseases. The study is published in Nature Communications. Notch is a cell receptor that is of great importance to a wide range of organisms and plays a crucial role in many different processes, including early embryonic development in both flies and humans. Notch ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Less intensive works best for agricultural soil

Arctic rivers project receives “national champion” designation from frontiers foundation

Computational biology paves the way for new ALS tests

Study offers new hope for babies born with opioid withdrawal syndrome

UT, Volkswagen Group of America celebrate research partnership

New Medicare program could dramatically improve affordability for cancer drugs – if patients enroll

Are ‘zombie’ skin cells harmful or helpful? The answer may be in their shapes

University of Cincinnati Cancer Center presents research at AACR 2025

Head and neck, breast, lung and survivorship studies headline Dana-Farber research at AACR Annual Meeting 2025

AACR: Researchers share promising results from MD Anderson clinical trials

New research explains why our waistlines expand in middle age

Advancements in muon detection: Taishan Antineutrino Observatory's innovative top veto tracker

Chips off the old block

Microvascular decompression combined with nerve combing for atypical trigeminal neuralgia

Cutting the complexity from digital carpentry

Lung immune cell type “quietly” controls inflammation in COVID-19

Fiscal impact of expanded Medicare coverage for GLP-1 receptor agonists to treat obesity

State and sociodemographic trends in US cigarette smoking with future projections

Young adults drive historic decline in smoking

NFCR congratulates Dr. Robert C. Bast, Jr. on receiving the AACR-Daniel D. Von Hoff Award for Outstanding Contributions to Education and Training in Cancer Research

Chimpanzee stem cells offer new insights into early embryonic development

This injected protein-like polymer helps tissues heal after a heart attack

FlexTech inaugural issue launches, pioneering interdisciplinary innovation in flexible technology

In Down syndrome mice, 40Hz light and sound improve cognition, neurogenesis, connectivity

Methyl eugenol: potential to inhibit oxidative stress, address related diseases, and its toxicological effects

A vascularized multilayer chip reveals shear stress-induced angiogenesis in diverse fluid conditions

AI helps unravel a cause of Alzheimer's disease and identify a therapeutic candidate

Coalition of Autism Scientists critiques US Department of Health and Human Services Autism Research Initiative

Structure dictates effectiveness, safety in nanomedicine

Mission accomplished for the “T2T” Hong Kong Bauhinia Genome Project

[Press-News.org] Hidden cause of lithium-rich cathode materials’ low energy efficiency revealed
Asymmetric reaction pathways are key