Background

Li-ion batteries enable almost all modern portable electronic devices and electric vehicles. However, the high-cost of Li-ion batteries makes its adoption by different industries a challenge. The costliest part of the battery is the cathode as many active materials are based on transition metal oxides containing Co and Ni. For decades it has been understood that a cathode based almost entirely on Mn oxides would enable lower cost applications of Na-ion and Li-ion batteries. However, layered MnO2 is generally unstable during cycling and so it is not used often to manufacture batteries.

Technology Overview

Researchers at Northeastern have produced a particulate manganese dioxide (MnO2) cathode material to be used as a cathode in Na-ion and Li-ion batteries. This MnO2 has bismuth (Bi) atoms inserted into its crystal structure, which “pillar” the material and improve its stability in a battery. The researchers have named this material KxBiy-MnO2. The use of Bi-pillared MnO2 is not novel and has been reported previously for Li-ion batteries. However, the method of synthesis used here, which involves a high-temperature solid state reaction, produces a very crystalline material allowing for precise tuning of the amount of Bi being placed in the material. The resulting Bi-inserted MnO2 has superior stability when used in a battery and is low in cost providing a better althernative to CoO2 and NiO2 when manufacturing Na-ion and Li-ion batteries.

Benefits

• The amount of Bi material inserted into MnO2 can be controlled precisely.
• Bi-inserted MnO2 has superior stability inside batteries.
• MnO2 is a low-cost material compared to CoO2 and NiO2

Applications

• Na-ion batteries
• Li-ion batteries
• Applications requiring precise control over the amount of Bi inserted into MnO2

Opportunity

Seeking licensee and/or industry partner.