OxTalks will soon be transitioning to Oxford Events (full details are available on the Staff Gateway). A two-week publishing freeze is expected in early Hilary to allow all events to be migrated to the new platform. During this period, you will not be able to submit or edit events on OxTalks. The exact freeze dates will be confirmed as soon as possible.
If you have any questions, please contact halo@digital.ox.ac.uk
One of the biggest challenges in battery development is how to increase their energy density. The cathode material represents a major fundamental limitation. Layered oxides, such as LiNi0.9Mn0.05Co0.05O2 and NaNi1/3Mn1/3Fe1/3O2, remain the best class of materials for the highest energy density Li-ion and Na-ion cells. However, to increase further the amount of energy they can store requires moving to alkali-rich cathodes (ie Li:TM>1) and contending with structural instability at high states of charge.
In this talk, I will discuss recent advances we have made in understanding the behaviour of next generation cathode materials. I will explore how oxide ions in the structure participate in the energy storage reaction to store extra charge. I will show how this O-redox reaction drives structural order-disorder transitions and results in the formation of O2 molecules trapped within the structure. I will illustrate how we have applied this understanding to overcome some of the critical issues they face and to develop improved Li-rich cathode materials. I will also look beyond layered oxides to discuss advances and opportunities in alkali-rich disordered rocksalt cathodes for beyond Li batteries.
