In the global race to develop next-generation lithium-ion batteries with higher energy density, researchers at the Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering (NIMTE), part of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, have achieved a major scientific breakthrough.
Source: CLS.cn
In the global race to develop next-generation lithium-ion batteries with higher energy density, researchers at the Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering (NIMTE), part of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, have achieved a major scientific breakthrough. The team has developed an innovative lithium-rich manganese-based (LRMB) cathode material that could significantly boost battery performance while reducing costs.
Compared to widely used commercial materials like lithium iron phosphate (LFP) and nickel-cobalt-manganese (NCM) compounds, LRMB materials offer much higher discharge capacities—potentially increasing the energy density of lithium batteries by more than 30%. Combined with their relatively low cost, these materials are seen as strong candidates for powering the next generation of electric vehicles and energy storage systems. However, their commercial potential has long been hampered by a critical issue: after multiple charge and discharge cycles, the battery’s voltage tends to decline—a degradation phenomenon known as voltage fade, which undermines long-term performance.
Now, researchers at NIMTE have discovered a key physical property of LRMB materials that may offer a solution. The team found that these cathode materials exhibit negative thermal expansion—they contract rather than expand when heated. By applying moderate heat, they were able to reverse structural disorder within the material, restoring it to a more ordered, lower-energy state. This process helps mitigate the internal stress that typically leads to material degradation during battery cycling.
Moreover, the researchers demonstrated that the thermal expansion behavior of the material can be finely tuned by adjusting its oxygen activity, allowing it to shift between positive, zero, and negative thermal expansion modes. Based on this insight, the team developed a zero thermal expansion cathode—a material that remains dimensionally stable across temperature fluctuations. This innovation could help resolve a major challenge in battery engineering: the gradual wear caused by thermal expansion and contraction, which contributes to shorter battery lifespans.
In a further advance, the researchers introduced a novel regeneration technique. By cycling the battery at partial charge—around 30% of full capacity—they were able to restore the average discharge voltage to nearly its original level and repair microstructural damage to the cathode. This finding could extend the life and efficiency of LRMB-based batteries without requiring full charge cycles.
The results were recently published in Nature, where reviewers praised the work for both its scientific originality and broad applicability. The study not only deepens the understanding of degradation mechanisms in advanced cathode materials but also offers a new strategy for designing functional materials with tunable structural properties—opening new doors across materials science and energy storage fields.
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