Carrageenan as a Sacrificial Binder for 5 V LiNi Mn O Cathodes in Lithium-Ion Batteries.

5 V-class LiNi Mn O (LNMO) with its spinel symmetry is a promising cathode material for lithium-ion batteries. However, the high-voltage operation of LNMO renders it vulnerable to interfacial degradation involving electrolyte decomposition, which hinders long-term and high-rate cycling. Herein, this longstanding challenge presented by LNMO is overcome by incorporating a sacrificial binder, namely, λ-carrageenan (CRN), a sulfated polysaccharide.

Entropymetry for detecting microcracks in high-nickel layered oxide cathodes.

Electric vehicles (EVs) are imposing ever-challenging standards on the lifetime and safety of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs); consequently, real-time nondestructive monitoring of battery cell degradation is highly desired. Unfortunately, high-nickel (Ni) layered oxides, the preferred LIB cathodes for EVs, undergo performance degradation originating from microcrack formation during cycling. Entropymetry is introduced as a real-time analytic tool for monitoring the evolution of microcracks in these cathodes along the state of charge.

Pyrazine-Linked 2D Covalent Organic Frameworks as Coating Material for High-Nickel Layered Oxide Cathodes in Lithium-Ion Batteries.

The high specific capacity in excess of 200 mAh g and low dependence on cobalt have enhanced the research interest on nickel-rich layered metal oxides as cathode materials for lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles. Nonetheless, their poor cycle life and thermal stability, resulting from the occurrence of cation mixing between the transition-metal (TM) and lithium ions, are yet to be fully addressed to enable the widespread and reliable use of these materials. Here, we report a two-dimensional (2D) pyrazine-linked covalent organic framework (namely, Pyr-2D) as a coating material for nickel-rich layered cathodes to mitigate unwanted TM dissolution and interfacial reactions.