Ternary metal fluorides as high-energy cathodes with low cycling hysteresis

Transition metal fluorides are an appealing alternative to conventional intercalation compounds for use as cathodes in next-generation lithium batteries due to their extremely high capacity (3–4 times greater than the current state-of-the-art). However, issues related to reversibility, energy effici...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Wang, Feng, Kim, Sung-Wook, Seo, Dong-Hwa, Kang, Kisuk, Wang, Liping, Su, Dong, Vajo, John J., Wang, John, Graetz, Jason
Other Authors: Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Materials Science and Engineering
Format: Article
Language:en_US
Published: Nature Publishing Group 2015
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/97211
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7200-7186
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Summary:Transition metal fluorides are an appealing alternative to conventional intercalation compounds for use as cathodes in next-generation lithium batteries due to their extremely high capacity (3–4 times greater than the current state-of-the-art). However, issues related to reversibility, energy efficiency and kinetics prevent their practical application. Here we report on the synthesis, structural and electrochemical properties of ternary metal fluorides (M[1 over y]M[2 over 1-y]F[subscript x]: M[superscript 1], M[superscript 2]=Fe, Cu), which may overcome these issues. By substituting Cu into the Fe lattice, forming the solid–solution Cu[subscript y]Fe[subscript 1-y]F[subscript 2], reversible Cu and Fe redox reactions are achieved with surprisingly small hysteresis (<150 mV). This finding indicates that cation substitution may provide a new avenue for tailoring key electrochemical properties of conversion electrodes. Although the reversible capacity of Cu conversion fades rapidly, likely due to Cu[superscript +] dissolution, the low hysteresis and high energy suggest that a Cu-based fluoride cathode remains an intriguing candidate for rechargeable lithium batteries.