New week and new battery. Now electrodes made of nanoparticles of manganese and titanium oxides instead of cobalt and nickel

Scientists from the University of Yokohama (Japan) have published a research paper on cells in which cobalt (Co) and nickel (Ni) have been replaced by oxides of titanium (Ti) and manganese (Mn), ground to a level where particle sizes are in the hundreds. nanometers. The cells should be cheaper to manufacture and have a capacity comparable to or better than modern lithium-ion cells.

The absence of cobalt and nickel in lithium-ion batteries means lower costs.

Table of contents

• The absence of cobalt and nickel in lithium-ion batteries means lower costs.
  • What has been achieved in Japan?

Typical lithium-ion cells are manufactured using several different technologies and different sets of elements and chemical compounds used in the cathode. The most important types are:

• NCM or NMC - i.e. based on nickel-cobalt-manganese cathode; they are used by most electric vehicle manufacturers,
• NKA - i.e. based on nickel-cobalt-aluminum cathode; Tesla uses them
• LFP - based on iron phosphates; BYD use them, some other Chinese brands use them in buses,
• LCO - based on cobalt oxides; we don't know a car manufacturer that would use them, but they appear in electronics,
• LMOs - i.e. based on manganese oxides.

Separation is simplified by the presence of links that connect technologies (for example, NCMA). In addition, the cathode is not everything, there is also an electrolyte and an anode.

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The main goal of most research on lithium-ion cells is to increase their capacity (energy density), operational safety and charging speed while extending their service life. while reducing costs... The main cost savings come from getting rid of cobalt and nickel, the two most expensive elements, from cells. Cobalt is especially problematic because it is mined primarily in Africa, often using children.

The most advanced manufacturers today are in single digits (Tesla: 3 percent) or less than 10 percent.

What has been achieved in Japan?

Yokohama researchers claim that they managed to completely replace cobalt and nickel with titanium and manganese. To increase the capacitance of the electrodes, they ground some oxides (probably manganese and titanium) so that their particles were several hundred nanometers in size. Grinding is a commonly used method because, given the volume of the material, it maximizes the surface area of ​​the material.

Moreover, the larger the surface area, the more nooks and cracks in the structure, the greater the electrode capacity.

The release shows that scientists have succeeded in creating a prototype of cells with promising properties and are now looking for partners in manufacturing companies. The next step will be a massive test of their endurance, followed by an attempt at mass production. If their parameters are promising, they will reach electric vehicles no earlier than 2025..

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