As celas de íon lítio disponíveis comercialmente, as quais são as mais avançadas entre as baterias recarregáveis disponíveis até agora, empregam óxidos de metais de transição microcristalinos como catodos, os quais funcionam como matrizes de inserção de lítio. Em busca por uma melhor performance eletroquímica, o uso de nanomateriais no lugar dos materiais convencionais tem emergido como excelente alternativa. Nesta revisão nós apresentaremos uma breve introdução sobre as motivações de usar materiais nanoestruturados como catodos em baterias de íon-lítio. Para ilustrar tais vantagens apresentamos exemplos de pesquisas relacionadas com a preparação e dados eletroquímicos dos mais usados catodos em nanoescala, tais como LiCoO 2 , LiMn 2 O 4 , LiMnO 2 , LiV 2 O 5 e LiFePO 4 .Commercially available lithium ion cells, which are the most advanced among rechargeable batteries available so far, employ microcrystalline transition metal oxides as cathodes, which function as Li insertion hosts. In search for better electrochemical performance the use of nanomaterials in place of these conventional ones has emerged as excellent alternative. In this review we present a brief introduction about the motivations to use nanostructured materials as cathodes in lithium ion batteries. To illustrate such advantages we present some examples of research directed toward preparations and electrochemical data of the most used cathodes in nanoscale, such as LiCoO 2 , LiMn 2 O 4 , LiMnO 2 , LiV 2 O 5 e LiFePO 4 .Keywords: nanotechnology, lithium-ion battery, cathode, nanoparticles
Initial RemarksSince Sony introduced its 18650 cell in 1990, 1 Li-ion batteries with excellent electrochemical performance have been manufactured and occupied a prime position in the market place 2 to power portable and non-portable devices. [3][4][5] The reason for this relevance is that compared to traditional rechargeable batteries such as, lead acid and Ni-Cd, the lithium-ion battery shows several advantages, such as lighter in weight, smaller in dimension and higher energy density. 1 Moreover, although capacity values may be similar to other rechargeable systems, voltages are approximately three times higher, affording higher energy. 1 In general, the commercial lithium-ion batteries use graphite-lithium composite, Li x C 6 , as anode, lithium cobalt oxide, LiCoO 2 , as cathode and a lithium-ion conducting electrolyte. When the cell is charged, lithium is extracted from the cathode and inserted at the anode. On discharge, the lithium ions are released by the anode and taken up again by the cathode (Figure 1).Owing to the importance of lithium ion batteries, these cells are still object of intense research to enhance their properties and characteristics. The searches focus on all aspects of these batteries, including improved anodes, 6-8 cathodes 9-17 and electrolytes. [18][19][20][21][22] However, most of these efforts are concentrated in new cathode materials, since the most used cathode material (LiCoO 2 ) is expensive and is somewhat toxic.The active catho...