Using mesoporous nanoarchitectures to improve battery performance

IEC 231

Bruce Dunn, François Bonet, Liam Noailles, and Paul Tang. Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of California, Los Angeles, 6532 Boelter Hall, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1595
Mesoporous transition metal oxides with high surface area, such as vanadium oxide aerogels, are gaining increasing interest as intercalation electrodes for rechargeable lithium batteries. The ability of aerogels to amplify surface defects and create local disorder is instrumental in developing cation insertion properties that offer significantly higher lithium ion capacities and rate capabilities than bulk vanadium oxide. By creating electrodes with mesoporous nanoarchitectures, it is possible to achieve substantial increases in mass-normalized power density as compared to traditional materials. These improvements will enable lithium batteries to make further in-roads on traditional Pb and Cd based systems. The unique multivalent ion insertion properties of mesoporous transition metal oxides offer the promise of moving away from lithium-based systems to safer and environmentally benign systems without compromising energy density.