Researchers at the University of Texas at Dallas have made a discovery that could remove a key barrier to the widespread use of Lithium nickel oxide (LiNiO2) as a potential new material to power next-generation, longer-lasting lithium-ion batteries.

Commercialization of the material, however, has stalled because it degrades after repeated charging, but the researchers said they figured out why LiNiO2 batteries break down and are testing a solution that could remove that barrier. Their findings were published in the journal Advanced Energy Materials.

“The degradation of batteries made using LiNiO2 has been a problem for decades, but the cause was not well understood,” Kyeongjae Cho, professor of materials science and engineering in the Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science and director of the Batteries and Energy to Advance Commercialization and National Security (BEACONS) program, said in a statement. “Now that we have a clear understanding of why this happens, we’re working on a solution so the technology can be used to provide longer battery life in a range of products including phones and electric vehicles.”

The researchers said they plan first to manufacture LiNiO2 batteries in the lab and ultimately to work with an industry partner to commercialize the technology.

The research is a project of UTD’s BEACONS initiative, which launched in 2023 with $30 million from the Department of Defense. UTD said the BEACONS mission is to develop and commercialize new battery technology and manufacturing processes; enhance the domestic availability of critical raw materials; and train high-quality workers for jobs in an expanding battery-energy storage workforce.

The problem with lithium nickel oxide batteries

To determine why LiNiO2 batteries break down during the last phase of charging, UT Dallas researchers analyzed the process using computational modeling, UTD said. The study involved understanding chemical reactions and the redistribution of electrons through materials at the atomic level.

In lithium-ion batteries, electrical current flows out of a conductor called the cathode, which is a positive electrode, into an anode, a negative electrode, UTD said.

According to the university, the anode typically is made of carbon graphite, which holds lithium at a higher potential. It said that during discharge, the lithium ions return to the cathode through the electrolyte and send electrons back to the lithium-containing cathode, as an electrochemical reaction that generates electricity. Typically, cathodes are made of a mixture of materials that includes cobalt, a scarce material that scientists aim to replace with alternatives, including lithium nickel oxide.

The researchers found that a chemical reaction involving oxygen atoms in LiNiO2 causes it to become unstable and crack. To solve that, the researchers developed a theoretical solution that reinforces the material by adding a positively charged ion, or cation, to alter its properties, creating “pillars” to strengthen the cathode.

UTD researchers are using robotics to manufacture test batteries. [Photo: UT Dallas]

From prototypes to commercialization

UTD said that Matthew Bergschneider, a materials science and engineering doctoral student and first author of the study, has been setting up a robotics-based lab to manufacture battery prototypes to explore high-throughput synthesis processes of the designed pillared LiNiO2 cathodes.

The robotic features will assist with synthesizing, evaluating and characterizing the materials, UTD said.

“We’ll make a small amount at first and refine the process,” Bergschneider, a Eugene McDermott Graduate Fellow, said in a statement. “Then we’ll scale up the material synthesis and manufacture hundreds of batteries per week at the BEACONS facility. These are all stepping stones to commercialization.”

UTD said that other researchers involved in the study include Fantai Kong, Patrick Conlin, Taesoon Hwang, research scientist in materials science and engineering; and Seok-Gwang Doo of the Korea Institute of Energy Technology.

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