Phase transformations and microstructural design of lithiated metal anodes for lithium-ion rechargeable batteries

There has been great recent interest in lithium storage at the anode of Li-ion rechargeable battery by alloying with metals such as Al, Sn, and Sb, or metalloids such as Si, as an alternative to the intercalation of graphite. This is due to the intrinsically high gravimetric and volumetric energy densities of this type of anodes (can be over an order of magnitude of that of graphite). However, the Achilles' heel of these Li-Me alloys has been the poor cyclability, attributed to mechanical failure resulting from the large volume changes accompanying alloying. Me-oxides, explored as candidates for anode materials because of their higher cyclability relative to pure Me, suffer from the problem of first cycle irreversibility. In both these types of systems, much experimental and empirical data have been provided in the literature on a largely comparative basis (i.e. investigations comparing the anode behavior of some new material with older candidates). It is the belief of the author that, in order to successfully proceed with the development of better anode materials, and the subsequent design and production of batteries with better intrinsic energy densities, a fundamental understanding of the relationship between the science and engineering of anode materials must be achieved, via a systematic and quantitative investigation of a variety of materials under a number of experimental conditions. In this thesis, the effects of composition and processing on microstructure and subsequent electrochemical behavior of anodes for Li-ion rechargeable batteries were investigated, using a number of approaches.

Department dc:contributor.department

Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Materials Science and Engineering.

Grantor dc:publisher

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Year dc:date.issued

2002

Author dc:creator

• Limthongkul, Pimpa, 1975-

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Yet-Ming Chiang.

• Materials Science and Engineering.

Statement dc:rights

• M.I.T. theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission.

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/8443

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/8443