Clean Energy Capability Portfolio | Storage Technologies |
Lithium-Ion Batteries – From Ore to Cells ,
Degradation and
Recycling
Lithium-ion batteries are currently used extensively across a range of applications . Their uptake in larger-scale applications requires the development of new materials , quantification of battery degradation , and looking into the future – end-of-life and recycling innovations . At the forefront of research and development in this space , the research team designs new materials and electrode manufacturing processes , while investigating degradation mechanisms and developing methods to observe these . It is also working towards re-use and recycling concepts , attempting to undertake these processes in an environmentally-friendly manner . |
Competitive Advantage • Development of new , high-performance environmentally-friendly electrode materials
• Directed materials design for optimised performance
• Ability to develop materials , characterise , examine electrochemical performance , and understand the chemical reasons behind performance
• Access to non-destructive methods to assess battery degradation and failure modes for research and large-scale batteries
• Variety of analytical tools to determine degradation , in particular in situ or operando neutron and synchrotron X-ray diffraction , X-ray tomography and solid-state NMR
• Know-how for analysing data from a range of analytical techniques to illustrate degradation
• Development of new recycling approaches to minimise environmental impact
Impact • Development of next generation materials for higher performing or specialised lithium-ion batteries
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• Non-destructively examined the role cathode chemical composition plays in cycling and high voltage stability
• Investigated new chemical doping regimes and their influence on electrochemical performance
• Investigated batteries in different form factors – e . g ., thin film and all-solid-state
• Characterised various options for re-use of blackmass
Capabilities and Facilities • Synthetic capabilities for electrode development , formulation and recycling studies
• Access to in situ / operando neutron diffraction
• Access to in situ / operando synchrotron X-ray diffraction and X-ray absorption spectroscopy
• Solid state NMR
• X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy , Raman , XRD , electron microscopy
• X-ray tomography
• Battery materials development to research-scale cell development
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• Ability to non-destructively assess battery degradation |
Our Collaborators |
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• Design and development of recycling methods
• Understanding failure and degradation modes to help design next generation batteries
• Developing new recycling scenarios
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• Orica
• Sicona
• Mint Innovation
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Successful Applications • New anode materials developed and protected
• Materials from industry partners examined in cells
• Non-destructively examined the state-of-health of cells used in testing
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More Information Professor Neeraj Sharma School of Chemistry T : + 61 2 9385 4714 E : neeraj . sharma @ unsw . edu . au
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