Presentation Title: Development and Application of Low-Voltage Niobium-Based Anode Materials for Lithium-Ion Batteries

Abstract: 

    The energy density and safety of lithium-ion batteries largely depend on the choice of anode materials. Graphite anodes offer moderate energy density, but their lithium intercalation potential is close to the lithium plating potential, resulting in limited rate capability. Titanium/niobium-based oxides have attracted widespread attention as high-safety fast-charging anode materials due to their high operating potential (1.6–1.7 V vs. Li/Li⁺). However, they suffer from significantly lower energy density compared to graphite anodes. This work focuses on the development of low-voltage niobium-based anode materials. By tailoring crystal structure and employing elemental doping strategies, we have successfully developed niobium anode materials with an operating potential range of 0.1–2.0 V vs. Li/Li⁺. These materials simultaneously exhibit high initial Coulombic efficiency, high lithium-ion diffusion coefficient, low volume expansion, and high compaction density. Full cells assembled by pairing the developed niobium-based anode with high-voltage cathodes achieve high output voltage, excellent rate performance, and superior safety. Furthermore, the hybrid application of these materials with graphite and silicon-carbon provides new material systems and design strategies for developing lithium-ion batteries with both high energy/power density and high safety.

Biography: 

      Xiaolei Li, Associate Researcher at Chengdu University. He received his Ph.D. degree from Sichuan University in 2022 under the supervision of Professor Liu Ying. To date, he has published 11 SCI-indexed papers as the first author in internationally renowned journals such as Adv. Mater., Sci. Bull., and Adv. Funct. Mater.His main research interests include: 1. High-power lithium-ion batteries; 2. Sulfide-based all-solid-state batteries; 3. Electrochromic devices.