Development of a recyclable anodic electrode of lamellar vanadium oxide modified with niobium with excellent performance in lithium ion batteries

• Grant number: 22/07627-8
• Support Opportunities: Research Grants - Innovative Research in Small Business - PIPE
• Duration: February 01, 2023 - October 31, 2023
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Chemistry - Physical-Chemistry
• Principal Investigator: Décio Batista de Freitas Neto
• Grantee: Décio Batista de Freitas Neto
• Host Company: Teiu Pesquisa e Desenvolvimento em Energia Ltda
• CNAE: Fabricação de produtos químicos inorgânicos não especificados anteriormente ; Fabricação de baterias e acumuladores para veículos automotores ; Pesquisa e desenvolvimento experimental em ciências físicas e naturais
• City: Ribeirão Preto
• Pesquisadores principais: João Victor Bonaldo Rodrigues Rocha
• Associated researchers: Herenilton Paulino Oliveira
• Associated scholarship(s): 23/04441-3 - DEVELOPMENT OF A LAMELLAR OXIDE ANODIUM ELECTRODE MODIFIED WITH NIIBium WITH EXCELLENT PERFORMANCE IN LITHIUM ION BATTERIES AND EASY RECYCLING, BP.PIPE

Abstract

The industry of batteries have been boosted in recent decades by the increased protagonism of renewable energies worldwide. Primary sources that produce clean energy, such as wind and solar, must be connected to energy storage devices such as batteries, so that the energy produced is appropriately used, thus forming networks known as smartgrids. These networks aim to distribute the energy produced and stored in an optimized way, leveling the energy demand of the society with the produced energy quantitity. Beyond smartgrids, batteries of different types already play a central role in technologies such as drones, portable electronics, small and medium-sized equipment; and in the automotive vehicle industry, in which the main global players have already set bold goals to replace the fossil fuel-powered fleet with a electrified one. Thus, it is urgent for the battery industry to produce increasingly eficiente and more powerful devices that can offer greater autonomy of use, and at the same time is able to reach the market at a low cost, turning viable their dissemination in society. Aiming this, research centers from renowned universities and the private sector from all over the world have invested great effort and financial support of millions of dollars in technological innovation, aiming to investigate, develop and constantly improve new materials for batteries. In this context of technological innovation, we started some tests with a new type of anodic binder-free electrode of vanadium oxide modified with niobium, for lithium-ion intercalation batteries, which has demonstrated excellent electrochemical performance reaching specific capacity values up to 1811 mAh/g, great cyclability and can be easily recycled. The results are promising so far, however, they are still in an early stage. Our main objective is to deepen the analysis of electrochemical performance that, along with robust structural characterization, will allow us to clarify the type of structure and the mechanisms that gives its excellent electrochemical performance, validating our material as a possible solution to the market pain previously highlighted. The synthesis process of the electroactive material in the electrode takes few steps and has high reproducibility, consisting of a cation exchange column, drying step of the eluent at a temperature up to 50ºC and incorporation into carbon fiber (with and without coating of carbon nanotubes) by dip-coating, forming the electrode. For the electrochemical performance analysis, these electrodes will be inserted in sweglok cells, using metallic lithium as reference electrode and counter electrode; commercial non-aqueous battery electrolyte, in an argon dry-box. Once this analysis has been carried out with due rigor, we hope to prove the technical feasibility of using this anodic composite in a lithium-ion battery and, thus, obtain a high added value material that is interesting for the industry. (AU)