Modeling functional materials

• Main Author: Ong, Marcus Kim Wee
• Other Authors: Su Haibin
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: 2018
• Subjects: DRNTU::Engineering::Materials
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10356/73738
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

Lithium ion batteries have been studied extensively over the years in a bid to improve their electrochemical performance such as discharge capacity, capacity retention, thermal stability, lifetime and safety. As devices like smartphones and electric vehicles are getting more and more advanced, the batteries powering them must improve as well to meet the requirements. In this report, the author focuses on two of the more common tri-element cathode material, LiNiCoAlO2 (NCA) and LiNiCoMnO2 (NCM). The different ways of improving their electrochemical performance such as changing the chemical composition of the cathode, doping and coating with different materials are reviewed individually and subsequently compared with each other. The studies suggest that all the methods are successful in improving the electrochemical performance of the batteries. However, there is no one method that is best for all cathode materials and the selection of method would have to depend on the material involved and which aspect of the battery performance are we interested in improving.