New Method Replaces Nickel and Cobalt for Cleaner Lithium-Ion Batteries

Published on Quantum Server Networks

Next-generation lithium-ion battery materials

In a significant leap for energy storage technology, researchers from McGill University, in collaboration with U.S. and South Korean scientists, have unveiled a new method for producing lithium-ion battery materials that eliminates the need for nickel and cobalt. Published in Nature Communications, this breakthrough could lead to cleaner, more affordable batteries for electric vehicles and renewable energy systems.

A Sustainable Alternative: Disordered Rock-Salt Cathodes

The study focuses on a promising alternative to traditional cathode materials: disordered rock-salt (DRX) structures. While DRX materials have long been considered a potential replacement for nickel- and cobalt-based cathodes, manufacturing challenges such as poor particle uniformity and instability have hindered their adoption.

The McGill-led team developed a nucleation-promoting and growth-limiting molten-salt synthesis method (NM synthesis) to produce highly crystalline, uniformly sized DRX particles without requiring grinding or post-processing. These nanoscale particles, measuring under 200 nanometers, exhibited remarkable stability and performance when tested in battery cells, retaining 85% capacity after 100 charge-discharge cycles—more than twice the performance of DRX materials made using older techniques.

From Lab Innovation to Industrial Scale

The research was conducted in partnership with Stanford University’s SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory and the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), with support from Wildcat Discovery Technologies. The new process not only improves battery performance but also enables scalable production of DRX cathodes, which is critical for meeting the growing demand for lithium-ion batteries in electric vehicles and grid storage.

“Our method allows for mass production of DRX cathodes with consistent quality, paving the way for more sustainable and cost-effective batteries,” said Jinhyuk Lee, Assistant Professor at McGill and corresponding author of the study.

A Path Toward Cleaner Energy

Nickel and cobalt mining is associated with environmental and ethical concerns, including toxic waste and labor issues. By eliminating these metals, DRX-based batteries could dramatically reduce the environmental impact of energy storage technologies.

This innovation represents a critical step forward in the transition to clean energy and electrified transportation, promising to make batteries not only greener but also more economically viable for large-scale applications.

Read the original article on TechXplore: New method replaces nickel and cobalt in battery for cleaner, cheaper lithium-ion batteries.

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#LithiumIonBatteries #SustainableEnergy #DRXCathodes #CleanEnergy #BatteryInnovation #MaterialsScience #QuantumServerNetworks

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