Assessing the Application-Specific Substitutability of Lithium-Ion Battery Cathode Chemistries Based on Material Criticality, Performance, and Price

Abstract

The material use of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) is widely discussed in public and scientific discourse. Cathodes of state-of-the-art LIBs are partially comprised of high-priced raw materials mined under alarming ecological and social circumstances. Moreover, battery manufacturers are searching for cathode chemistries that represent a trade-off between low costs and an acceptable material criticality of the comprised elements while fulfilling the performance requirements for the respective application of the LIB. This article provides an assessment of the substitutability of common LIB cathode chemistries (NMC 111, −532, −622, −811, NCA 3%, −9%, LMO, LFP, and LCO) for five major fields of application (traction batteries, stationary energy storage systems, consumer electronics, power-/garden tools, and domestic appliances). Therefore, we provide a tailored methodology for evaluating the substitutability of products or components and critically reflect on the results. Outcomes show that LFP is the preferable cathode chemistry while LCO obtains the worst rating for all fields of application under the assumptions made (as well as the weighting of the considered categories derived from an expert survey). The ranking based on the substitutability score of the other cathode chemistries varies per field of application. NMC 532, −811, −111, and LMO are named recommendable types of cathodes.

Engineering Dry Electrode Manufacturing for Sustainable Lithium-Ion Batteries

“…Typically, they can be categorized into three structures: olivine-type (Li(M)PO 4 ), layered (Li(M)O 2 ), and spinel-type (LiM 2 O 4 ), with M symbolizing a single or several transition metals [165,166]. Some of the most used cathode-active materials in LIBs are LFP, LCO, NMC, NCA, LMO, and LNMO [167]. Cathode materials are typically polycrystalline, consisting of numerous crystalline grains.…”

HPPC Test Methodology Using LFP Battery Cell Identification Tests as an Example

“…LFP battery cells have a lower energy density than the most popular electromobility applications of nickel manganese cobalt (NMC) cells [58,59], but they ensure greater safety of use due to much lower susceptibility to thermal runaway [59,60]. LFP battery cells also perform more favorably in terms of product sustainability [61,62].…”

An artificial neural network using multi-head intermolecular attention for predicting chemical reactivity of organic materials

“…Such compounds have limited reserves, presenting a potential supply problem, making production costs unreliable/high and the large-scale use of these compounds unsustainable. 3,4 Therefore, post-LIB systems such as rechargeable organic batteries that exploit redox-active organic electrodes or a catholyte/anolyte have garnered tremendous attention as sustainable battery systems. [5][6][7][8][9] These redox-active organic materials are mostly composed of earth-abundant carbon, oxygen, hydrogen, and nitrogen, with remarkable recent progress in the electrode performance, which can sometimes rival that of their transition-metal-containing counterparts according to the latest results.…”