EUROPEAN CONGRESS AND EXHIBITION ON ADVANCED MATERIALS AND PROCESSES - EUROMAT 2021

The increase in the market share of electric vehicles is strongly linked to the increase in autonomy, to the reduction of costs and charging time of batteries, without forgetting to mention that the new generations of batteries will have to offer at least the same life span and safety than current batteries. Concerning the anodes of Li-ion batteries, graphite-integrated silicon composite is an...

Lithium-ion batteries have revolutionized the field of energy storage. World battery production has exploded in recent years, and demand will continue to grow in the future. However, there are fears of supply or cost problems for certain raw materials. Faced with this observation, it is therefore important to consider an alternative to the lithium-ion technology.
Among the so-called...

Future renewable energy integrated grid systems require rechargeable batteries with low cost, high safety and long cycle life. The much higher abundance and fair distribution of potassium compared to lithium in Earth crust indicates that rechargeable potassium batteries can represent an attractive replacement for lithium-ion counterparts. Rechargeable potassium batteries have gained tremendous...

In recent years, δ-MnO2 birnessite appeared as a promising positive electrode material for both hybrid supercapacitors and aqueous batteries due to its layered structure, which favors ionic diffusion, its low cost, high abundance and environmental friendly character. The δ-MnO2 phase possesses a high theoretical capacity (~300 mAh/g), however its low electronic conductivity strongly limits the...

Layered O3-LiCoO2 (analogue to NaFeO2 structure, crystallizing in the R-3m space group with ahex = 2.816 Å; chex = 14.05 Å) is one of the most widely used positive electrode materials in lithium ion batteries due to its high volumetric energy density which can be further improved by charging at high voltages. However, working at high potential (above 4.3 V vs. Li+/Li) causes a deterioration in...

Properties and function of beyond intercalation-type batteries are not only rooted in the chemistry but at least as much in the structure all the way from atomic to sub-micrometer lengthscales. This concerns specifically complex transformations such as the electrodeposition of insulating materials in conversion-type lithium-sulfur (Li-S) or lithium-air (Li-O2) battery electrodes. Substantial...

X-ray computed tomography is a versatile technique that has been widely used for material structural analysis at scale ranging from the micrometre to the nanometre. Moreover, phase contrast imaging has brought to light a practical way to enhance visibility between weak absorbing materials and/or small details of differing refractive index within structure, and thus accessing a sharpen overview...

Lithium-ion battery is considered as one of the most successful storage methods which enables the sustainability of the energy systems. However, its aging problems present considerable challenges in maintaining performance over its useful life. To study the degradation of lithium-ion batteries, numerous studies have been carried out that analyze the different phenomena that occur in internal...

Lithium-Sulfur batteries are among promising candidates for next-generation energy-storage devices. Huge efforts have been put into the design of new cathode materials for these batteries. In this regard, sulfur copolymers have recently attracted considerable attention, due to their flexible structure and their ability to provide reversible capacity. Here, the focus is set on...

Sodium-metal chloride (ZEBRA) batteries apply ceramic Na-β”-alumina electrolytes with molten sodium metal anode. As electrolyte and anode support extreme current densities of above 1 A/cm2 [1], it is the cathode which limits cycling rates and power capability in these batteries.

We have designed planar sodium-metal chloride battery cells capable of cycling (partially) molten electrodes at...

Recently, potassium-ion batteries (KIB) have been considered as a potential alternative of Li-ion batteries due to the cost effectiveness and the variety of electrode materials. Graphite – the well-known anode in LIB – has gained numerous attention from KIB scientists owing to its ability of intercalating K+ ion to form KC8 with high theoretical capacity (278 mAh/g) and good cycling retention....

Li3RuO4 is an intriguing model system for investigating the importance of atomic superstructure in the absence of compositional changes in anion redox active cathode materials. Li3RuO4 exhibits both an ordered structure (O-Li3RuO4) and a disordered rocksalt (DRX) polymorph (D-Li3RuO4). The electrochemical performance of these two phases is very different; D-Li3RuO4 exhibits much larger first...

The most common energy storage system for the portable electronic and automotive markets are lithium-ion batteries which demand is constantly growing. However, because of the low abundance of lithium in the earth’s crust the search for an alternative is on. One of them could be sodium-ion batteries (SIBs), especially for a large-scale energy storage system. Nevertheless, the lack of anode...

For magnesium ion batteries to be used commercially, new cathodes must be developed that show stable reversible Mg intercalation. VS4 is one such promising material, with vanadium and disulfide anions [S2]2– forming one-dimensional linear chains, with a large interchain spacing enabling reversible Mg insertion. VS4 has shown uptake of 0.84 mol of Mg2+ during the first discharge (rate C/12),...

The LiNi0.6Mn0.2Co0.2O2 layered oxide is a very attractive positive electrode material for Li-ion batteries and possibly in a near future for all-solid-state batteries, thanks to good capacity, stability and cyclability upon long range cycling in the former. To optimize its performances in both systems, a better knowledge of its reactivity, versus liquid and solid electrolyte, is needed. The...

Increasing the cycle life and the energy storage density of Li-ion batteries are key challenges in making rechargeable batteries a more sustainable option. This has led to the development of Ni-rich LiNixMnyCo1-x-yO2 (NMC) materials with offer higher energy densities, but for commercial applications their rapid capacity fade must be addressed. We report here out detailed ex-situ studies of NMC...

Nickel-rich cathode materials such as LiNi$_{0.8}$Mn$_{0.1}$Co$_{0.1}$O$_2$ (NMC811) are promising next generation materials for lithium-ion batteries due to their high theoretical capacity and low cobalt content. However, NMC811 suffers from rapid capacity fading and poor cycle life. The solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) layer forms as a result of electrolyte decomposition during...

Among the various solutions, energy can in particular be stored electrochemically in batteries and supercapacitors. Although supercapacitors are now commercially available, they still require improvements of electrode materials, electrolytes and integration in systems, especially for enhancing their energy density. For reaching these objectives, various strategies have been proposed in the...