A research team led by the City University of Hong Kong (CityU) in collaboration with Nanjing University and Northwestern University in the United States has created a long-lasting and efficient cobalt-free battery.
By introducing additional transition metal ions into the cathode material, the experts strengthened the honeycomb structure, which resulted in a slight voltage drop of only 0.02 mV per cycle. This is the first use of LMR cathode material with low voltage sag.
The experts found that the interlayer transition metal ions act as a "lid" over or under the honeycomb structure, preventing cation migration and maintaining stability. The structure remains intact even at high cutoff voltages and ensures the structural integrity of the batteries throughout the cycle of operation.
«Our work has solved the problem of voltage drop across the LMR cathode, with a capacity nearly twice that of commonly used cathode materials, ultimately paving the way for more powerful and stable energy storage devices.»
said Prof. Liu Qi from the Department of Physics.