Ultrafast Non‐Equilibrium Synthesis of Cathode Materials for Li‐Ion Batteries

Abstract

The synthesis of cathode materials plays an important role in determining the production efficiency, cost, and performance of lithium‐ion batteries. However, conventional synthesis methods always experience a slow heating rate and involve a complicated multistep reaction process and sluggish reaction dynamics, leading to high energy and long time consumption. Herein, a high‐temperature shock (HTS) strategy is reported for the ultrafast synthesis of cathode materials in seconds. The HTS process experiences an ultrahigh heating rate, leading to a non‐equilibrium reaction and fast reaction kinetics, and avoids high energy and long time consumption. Mainstream cathode materials (such as LiMn2O4, LiCoO2, LiFePO4, and Li‐rich layered oxide/NiO heterostructured material) are successfully synthesized with pure phases, oxygen vacancies, ultrasmall particle sizes, and good electrochemical performance. The HTS process not only provides an efficient synthesis approach for cathode materials, but also can be extended beyond lithium‐ion batteries.

Perspective on the Preparation Methods of Single Crystalline High Nickel Oxide Cathode Materials

“…This UHTS dramatically shortens the duration time of sintering and is helpful to minimize the volatile element loss, facilitating to preserve the compositional ratios. In a quite recent employment of UHTS on the preparation of NCM, [ 75 ] the fast temperature‐fall process showed the capability to generate small crystalline grains and introduce defects, producing nano‐sized PC‐NCM with more grain boundaries and defects, which is beneficial to enhancing the C‐rate performance, but going in the opposite of SC‐NCM. What's more, although the heating mechanism shortens the sintering time significantly, it is difficult to heat large quantity samples at the same time, which restrains the output and is hard to be employed in an industrial production line.…”

Insights into high-entropy material synthesis dynamics criteria based on a thermodynamic framework

“…1 Comparison between the slow synthesis kinetics represented by traditional synthesis technology and fast synthesis kinetics represented by the emerging ultrafast synthesis technology reveals synthesis kinetics at different rates, causing great differences in the synthesis reaction paths of both the phase and surface interface properties of the final phases. 63 The ultrafast synthesis technology provides more accurate high-energy input over extremely short time-scales ranging from nanoseconds to minutes. The shorter reaction time also greatly improves the efficiency of energy utilization and the diffusion ability of ions when compared to traditional synthesis methods, conducive to the rapid reaction kinetics for the direct synthesis of the target phases from precursors instead of undergoing complex multi-step and slow reaction kinetics.…”

“…In turn, this would greatly reduce the synthesis time for obtaining the target products. 64 Also, the short heating and cooling times in ultrafast synthesis techniques in the final phase do not provide enough time for ions to spread through the material over long distances. After rapid cooling, the kinetic barrier can prevent atoms from spreading, thus promoting the stabilization of products.…”

Ultrafast materials synthesis and manufacturing techniques for emerging energy and environmental applications

“…(1) These methods are ultrafast and highly efficient. 31–35 Unlike conventional methods that take hours or even days, ultrafast synthesis methods usually require a few nanoseconds to a few minutes. The short reaction times of ultrafast methods not only provide a more precise and targeted energy input, but also can considerably reduce the unavoidable heat dissipation through radiation, convection, and conduction.…”