Jaecheol Choi

Electrospun Three-Dimensional Mesoporous Silicon Nanofibers as an Anode Material for High-Performance Lithium Secondary Batteries

Mesoporous silicon nanofibers (m-SiNFs) have been fabricated using a simple and scalable method via electrospinning and reduction with magnesium. The prepared m-SiNFs have a unique structure in which clusters of the primary Si nanoparticles interconnect to form a secondary three-dimensional mesoporous structure. Although only a few nanosized primary Si particles lead to faster electronic and Li(+) ion diffusion compared to tens of nanosized Si, the secondary nanofiber structure (a few micrometers in length) results in the uniform distribution of the nanoparticles, allowing for the easy fabrication of electrodes. Moreover, these m-SiNFs exhibit impressive electrochemical characteristics when used as the anode materials in lithium ion batteries (LIBs). These include a high reversible capacity of 2846.7 mAh g(-1) at a current density of 0.1 A g(-1), a stable capacity retention of 89.4% at a 1 C rate (2 A g(-1)) for 100 cycles, and a rate capability of 1214.0 mAh g(-1) (at 18 C rate for a discharge time of ∼3 min).

Measurement and Analysis of Adhesion Property of Lithium-Ion Battery Electrodes with SAICAS

The adhesion strength of lithium-ion battery (LIB) electrodes consisting of active material, a nanosized electric conductor, and a polymeric binder is measured with a new analysis tool, called the Surface and Interfacial Cutting Analysis System (SAICAS). Compared to the conventional peel test with the same electrode, SAICAS gives higher adhesion strength owing to its elaborate cutting-based measurement system. In addition, the effects on the adhesion property of the polymeric binder type and content, electrode density, and measuring point are also investigated to determine whether SAICAS provides reliable results. The findings confirm SAICAS as an effective and promising tool to measure and analyze the adhesion properties of LIB electrodes.

Highly Adhesive and Soluble Copolyimide Binder: Improving the Long-Term Cycle Life of Silicon Anodes in Lithium-Ion Batteries

A highly adhesive and thermally stable copolyimide (P84) that is soluble in organic solvents is newly applied to silicon (Si) anodes for high energy density lithium-ion batteries. The Si anodes with the P84 binder deliver not only a little higher initial discharge capacity (2392 mAh g(-1)), but also fairly improved Coulombic efficiency (71.2%) compared with the Si anode using conventional polyvinylidene fluoride binder (2148 mAh g(-1) and 61.2%, respectively), even though P84 is reduced irreversibly during the first charging process. This reduction behavior of P84 was systematically confirmed by cyclic voltammetry and Fourier-transform infrared analysis in attenuated total reflection mode of the Si anodes at differently charged voltages. The Si anode with P84 also shows ultrastable long-term cycle performance of 1313 mAh g(-1) after 300 cycles at 1.2 A g(-1) and 25 °C. From the morphological analysis on the basis of scanning electron microscopy and optical images and of the electrode adhesion properties determined by surface and interfacial cutting analysis system and peel tests, it was found that the P84 binder functions well and maintains the mechanical integrity of Si anodes during hundreds of cycles. As a result, when the loading level of the Si anode is increased from 0.2 to 0.6 mg cm(-2), which is a commercially acceptable level, the Si anode could deliver 647 mAh g(-1) until the 300th cycle, which is still two times higher than the theoretical capacity of graphite at 372 mAh g(-1).

High performance fe porphyrin/Ionic liquid co-catalyst for electrochemical CO2 reduction

The efficient and selective catalytic reduction of CO2 is a highly promising process for both of the storage of renewable energy as well as the production of valuable chemical feedstocks. In this work, we show that the addition of an ionic liquid, 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate, in an aprotic electrolyte containing a proton source and FeTPP, promotes the in situ formation of the [Fe(0) TPP](2-) homogeneous catalyst at a less negative potential, resulting in lower overpotentials for the CO2 reduction (670 mV) and increased kinetics of electron transfer. This co-catalysis exhibits high Faradaic efficiency for CO production (93 %) and turnover number (2 740 000 after 4 hour electrolysis), with a four-fold increase in turnover frequency (TOF) when compared with the standard system without the ionic liquid.

Effect of LiCoO 2 Cathode Density and Thickness on Electrochemical Performance of Lithium-Ion Batteries

The consequences of electrode density and thickness for electrochemical performance of lithium-ion cells are investigated using 2032-type coin half cells. While the cathode composition is maintained by 90:5:5 (wt.%) with active material, Super-P electric conductor and polyvinylidene fluoride polymeric binder, its density and thickness are independently controlled to 20, 35, 50 um and 1.5, 2.0, 2.5, 3.0, 3.5 g , respectively, which are based on commercial lithium-ion battery cathode system. As the cathode thickness is increased in all densities, the rate capability and cycle life of lithium-ion cells become significantly worse. On the other hand, even though the cathode density shows similar behavior, its effect is not as high as the thickness in our experimental range. This trend is also investigated by cross-sectional morphology, porosity and electric conductivity of cathodes with different densities and thicknesses. This work suggests that the electrode density and thickness should be chosen properly and mentioned in detail in any kinds of research works.

Binder-free metal fibril-supported Fe2O3 anodes for high-performance lithium-ion batteries

We report a simple fabrication process for a stainless steel metal fibril-supported Fe2O3 (Fe2O3/SF) material as a lithium battery anode. Utilizing the well-developed 3D structure of Fe2O3/SF, the material shows not only a superior rate capability but also extremely long cycle life (2000 cycles), even at a high current density.

A comparative investigation of carbon black (Super-P) and vapor-grown carbon fibers (VGCFs) as conductive additives for lithium-ion battery cathodes

To investigate the synergistic effect of different types of conductive additives on the cathode performance of lithium-ion batteries, various types of cathode materials containing different ratios of vapor-grown carbon fibers (VGCFs) and carbon black (Super-P) are investigated. The pillar-like morphology of the VGCFs enabled them to efficiently connect to the active materials and hence, the highest electrical conductivity of LiCoO2 and LiFePO4 (both of which are composed of primary particles) was achieved with the VGCFs. On the other hand, for LiNi0.6Co0.2Mn0.2O2, composed of micro-sized secondary particles embedded with nano-sized primary particles, improved electrical conductivity was achieved with a mixture of VGCF and Super-P via synergistic action.

Elucidating the Polymeric Binder Distribution within Lithium-Ion Battery Electrodes Using SAICAS

Polymeric binder distribution within electrodes is crucial to guarantee the electrochemical performance of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) for their long-term use in applications such as electric vehicles and energy-storage systems. However, due to limited analytical tools, such analyses have not been conducted so far. Herein, the adhesion properties of LIB electrodes at different depths are measured using a surface and interfacial cutting analysis system (SAICAS). Moreover, two LiCoO2 electrodes, dried at 130 and 230 °C, are carefully prepared and used to obtain the adhesion properties at every 10 μm of depth as well as the interface between the electrode composite and the current collector. At high drying temperatures, more of the polymeric binder material and conductive agent appears adjacent to the electrode surface, resulting in different adhesion properties as a function of depth. When the electrochemical properties are evaluated at different temperatures, the LiCoO2 electrode dried at 130 °C shows a much better high-temperature cycling performance than does the electrode dried at 230 °C due to the uniform adhesion properties and the higher interfacial adhesion strength.