posted on 2024-03-01, 16:06authored byNir Yuran, Bagavathi Muniyandi, Arka Saha, Shira Yochelis, Daniel Sharon, Yossi Paltiel, Malachi Noked
The growing demand
for energy has increased the need
for battery
storage, with lithium-ion batteries being widely used. Among those,
nickel-rich layered lithium transition metal oxides [LiNi1–x–yCoxMnyO2 NCM (1 – x – y > 0.5)] are some of the promising cathode materials
due
to their high specific capacities and working voltages. In this study,
we demonstrate that a thin, simple coating of polyalanine chiral molecules
improves the performance of Ni-rich cathodes. The chiral organic coating
of the active material enhances the discharge capacity and rate capability.
Specifically, NCM811 and NCM622 electrodes coated with chiral molecules
exhibit lower voltage hysteresis and better rate performance, with
a capacity improvement of >10% at a 4 C discharge rate and an average
improvement of 6%. We relate these results to the chirally induced
spin selectivity effect that enables us to reduce the resistance of
the electrode interface and to reduce dramatically the overpotential
needed for the chemical process by aligning the electron spins.