Je-Nam Lee

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).

Robust cycling of Li-O2 batteries through the synergistic effect of blended electrolytes.

Despite their exceptionally large specific capacities, the use of Li-O2 batteries has been limited because of their poor cycle lives, which originates from irreversible reaction processes during each cycle. Recent investigations have found that electrolyte decomposition is one of the most critical reasons for capacity decay. Herein, we report that a blended electrolyte, consisting of a carbonate solvent and an ionic liquid, improves the cycle lives of Li-O2 batteries remarkably through a synergistic effect from both components. Both electrolyte components perform complementary functions to each other: The ionic liquid suppresses the decomposition of the carbonate solvent, and the carbonate solvent resolves the poor ionic conductivity of the ionic liquid. This study confirms the importance and opportunities for the use of electrolytes in Li-O2 batteries.

Polysulfide rejection layer from alpha-lipoic acid for high performance lithium–sulfur battery

The polysulfide shuttle has been an impediment to the development of lithium–sulfur batteries with high capacity and cycling stability. Here, we report a new strategy to remedy the problem that uses alpha-lipoic acid (ALA) as an electrolyte additive to form a polysulfide rejection layer on the cathode surface via the electrochemical and chemical polymerization of ALA and a stable solid electrolyte interface (SEI) layer on the Li metal anode during the first discharge. The poly(ALA) layer formed in situ effectively prevents the polysulfide shuttle and consequently enhances the discharge capacity and cycling stability, owing to the Donnan potential developed between the polysulfide-concentrated cathode and the fixed negative charge-concentrated poly(ALA) layer. Also, the SEI layer additionally prevents the chemical reaction of the polysulfide and Li metal anode. The approach, based on the double effect, encompasses a new scientific strategy and provides a practical methodology for high performance lithium–sulfur batteries.

Enhancement of Cycle Performance of Lithium Secondary Batteries Based on Nano-Composite Coated PVdF Membrane

The multilayered membrane for lithium rechargeable batteries based on poly (vinylidene fluoride) (PVdF) is prepared with the coated layer containing nano-sized filler. The prepared membranes were subjected to studies of mechanical strength, morphology, interfacial stability, impedance spectroscopy, ionic conductivity, and cycle performance. The localized inorganic filler in the PVdF composite membrane rendered mechanical strength much reduced because of its low stretching ratio and it results in around half value of the mechanical strength of highly stretched PVdF membrane. In order to achieve high ionic conductivity and interfacial stability without sacrificing high mechanical strength, coating layer with nano-filler was newly introduced to PVdF membrane. The ionic conductivity of the coated membrane was 1.03 mS/cm, and the interface between the coating layer and PVdF membrane was stable when the membrane was immersed into liquid electrolyte. The discharge capacity of the cell based on nano-filler coated PVdF membrane was around 91% of the initial discharge capacity after 250 cycles, which is an improvement in cycle performance compared to the case for the non-coated PVdF membrane.

Cross-linkable Polymer Matrix for Enhanced Thermal Stability of Succinonitrile-based Polymer Electrolyte in Lithium Rechargeable Batteries

A polymer electrolyte was prepared by using polyvinylidenefluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene (PVdF-HFP) or poly(ethylene glycol) dimethacrylate (PEGDMA) as polymer matrices, succinonitrile as an additive, and lithium perchlorate as a lithium salt. Compared to the polymer electrolyte employing PVdF-HFP, the PEGDMA-based polymer electrolyte exhibits substantially superior thermal stability when exposed to high temperatures. Nonetheless, the ionic conductivity of the PEGDMA-based polymer electrolyte was preserved in a wide temperature range between and .