Enhancement of Columbic Efficiency and Capacity of Li-Ion Batteries using a Boron Nitride Nanotubes-Dispersed-Electrolyte with High Ionic Conductivity

Abstract

Carbon nanotubes (CNT) are currently used as conductive additives for the electrodes to enhance the capacity of the lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), and we herein for the first time demonstrate the feasibility of boron nitride nanotubes (BNNT) as an electrolyte additive for lithium ion batteries (LIBs). The 0.9 wt % BNNT electrolyte yielded enhanced Li-ion conductivity up to 30% (∼0.87 mS/cm) and a much higher Li-ion transference number (∼0.73) compared to electrolytes without BNNT. The BNNT dispersed electrolyte (1 M LiPF 6 in ethylene carbonate/ dimethyl carbonate) prepared via sonication serves as a new electrolyte formulation, together with the NCM622//graphite full cell, and exhibits the highest reversible capacities of 153 mAh/g at 1 C and excellent cyclic retention over 500 cycles at high 10 C with a specific capacity of 71.5 mAh/g and a Coulombic efficiency of 99.6% compared to 125.3 mAh/g at 1 C and 40 mAh/g at 10 C with only 97.5% Coulombic efficiency without BNNT, respectively. Overall, we suggest BNNT as a new class of functional electrolyte material that resolves the major limitations of conventional carbonate-based electrolytes and is compatible for different electrolytes/electrode materials aimed at practical implementations for current as well as advanced LIBs.

Boron Nitride Nanotube-Aligned Electrospun PVDF Nanofiber-Based Composite Films Applicable to Wearable Piezoelectric Sensors

“…BNNT, since its discovery, has been offering various nanosolutions through its nontoxic compliance, mechanical strength, thermal conductivity, flame resistance, electrically insulating behavior, piezoelectric properties, neutron shielding capability, oxidation resistance, etc. − Therefore, tremendous attention is on BNNTs in various fields such as the pharmaceuticals, electronics, energy and environment, biomedicals, wear- and corrosive-resistant coatings, physical separation, etc. , Especially, thermal conductivity of BNNTs works highly efficient for dissipating heat through very rapid cooling. − In addition, because of the difference in the electronegativities of the B and N atoms, BNNT is a noncentrosymmetric structure that partially exhibits the ionic characteristic of B–N bonds, making it piezoelectric …”