Nanowerk November 15, 2021
Nanosizing of active electrode material is a common strategy to increase the effective lithium-ion diffusion transport rate, but it also decreases the volumetric energy/power density and stability of the battery. An international team of researchers (the Netherlands, China, Germany) has demonstrated nickel niobate (NiNb2O6) as a new intrinsic high-rate anode material for lithium-ion batteries without the requirement of realizing nano-architectures. The NiNb2O6 host crystal structure exhibits only a single type of channel for lithium-ion intercalation and can be fully lithiated with a capacity of about 244 mAh g−1 at low current densities. A high diffusion coefficient enables fast (dis)charging at high current densities resulting in high capacities. The minimal volume change during lithiation is the origin of the stable reversible lithiation process in NiNb2O6 and leads to 81% capacity retention after 20 000 cycles at 100C…read more. Open Access TECHNICAL ARTICLE
Schematic diagrams of the NiNb2O6 host structure. Credit: Advanced Energy Materials, 14 November 2021