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Coating provides extra layer of protection for battery cathodes.
Building a better lithium-ion battery involves addressing a myriad of factors simultaneously, from keeping the battery's cathode electrically and ionically conductive to making sure that the battery stays safe after many cycles.
In a new discovery, scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory have developed a new cathode coating by using an oxidative chemical vapor deposition technique that can help solve these and several other potential issues with lithium-ion batteries all in one stroke.
"The coating we've discovered really hits five or six birds with one stone." Khalil Amine, Argonne distinguished fellow and battery scientist.
In the research, Amine and his fellow researchers took particles of Argonne's pioneering nickel-manganese-cobalt (NMC) cathode material and encapsulated them with a sulfur-containing polymer called PEDOT. This polymer provides the cathode a layer of protection from the battery's electrolyte as the battery charges and discharges.
Unlike conventional coatings, which only protect the exterior surface of the micron-sized cathode particles and leave the interior vulnerable to cracking, the PEDOT coating had the ability to penetrate to the cathode particle's interior, adding an additional layer of shielding.
