Review Article Highlighting Possible Strategy for Lithium/Manganese-rich Layered Oxide Cathodes

Lithium/manganese-rich layered oxide (LMR) is considered a promising cathode material for lithium ion batteries because it theoretically has high energy density at low cost. However, LMR is less stable than the currently common lithium-nickel-manganese-cobalt oxide (NMC) and its research and development (R&D) is considered to be more complex. A team from MEET Battery Research Center at the University of Münster, in cooperation with international partners from industry and academia, has now developed a framework for a more systematic R&D of LMR cathodes in a review article.

Various Compositions of LMR Analyzed

“There are numerous different compositions of LMR, resulting in a wide range of design possibilities and variables, which makes it difficult to compare results,” explains Dr Anindityo Arifiadi, MEET Battery Research Center and International Graduate School BACCARA. The researchers therefore evaluated the electrochemical performance of LMR materials in various compositions and also assessed their costs, both at the material and cell level. “This is a crucial step for LMR compositional design, which is critical for the commercialization of the material,” says Arifiadi. To this end, the scientists also compared the specific energy, energy density and costs of cells with LMR cathodes and other common cell chemistries with graphite-based anodes.

In addition, the researchers  analyzed the influences of the crystal design as well as the microstructure, the surface, and the electrolyte engineering. Dr Johannes Kasnatscheew, Head of the Research Division Materials at MEET Battery Research Center, summarizes: “On the one hand, our results serve as a guide on how LMR can be optimally composed. On the other hand, they can serve as basis for systematically R&D of the material, for example via a fairer comparison at similar state-of-charges (SOCs) instead the conventionally applied charge protocols for a fixed cut-off voltage.”   

International Research Cooperation

In order to address the complexity of the topic, an interdisciplinary team from industry and academia contributed to this review article. The authors include Dr Anindityo Arifiadi, Sebastian Oster, Dr Dominik Voigt, and Dr Johannes Kasnatscheew, MEET Battery Research Center, Dr Donggun Eum, Stanford University, Dr Andrzej Kulka, AGH University of Science and Technology (Poland), Dr Hyuck Hur, LG Energy Solution, and Prof. Dr Martin Winter, MEET Battery Research Center and Helmholtz Institute Münster of Forschungszentrum Jülich. The entire study has been published in the journal “Advanced Science”.