In its newsletter “Ceramic Tech Today,” the American Ceramic Society highlighted research led by Professor Ricardo H.R. Castro, chair of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at Lehigh University, on why lithium-ion battery cathodes fail.
Widely used in a range of devices, from smartphones to electric vehicles, Li-ion batteries are essential to today’s energy and mobility systems.
The multi-institutional team investigated thermodynamic changes in cathodes during battery cycling to understand how these shifts compromise stability. They found that cycling lithium ions in and out of the cathode causes a remarkable surface energy oscillation, which contributes to long-term degradation. By introducing lanthanum as a dopant, the researchers observed enhanced stability by reducing the oscillation amplitude, showing promise for more resilient battery materials.
The team recently published their findings in The Journal of Physical Chemistry C.
Read the full article on the American Ceramic Society’s website.
