文摘
Lithium-ion batteries have high energy efficiency and good cycling life and are considered as one of the best energy storage device for hybrid and/or electrical vehicle. Still, several problems must be solved prior to a broad adoption by the automotive industry: energy density, safety, and costs. To enhance both energy density and safety, the current study aims at depositing binder-free cathode materials using inductively coupled thermal plasma. In a first step, lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4) powders are synthesized in an inductively coupled thermal plasma reactor and dispersed in a conventional polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) binder. Then, binder-free LiFePO4 coatings are directly deposited onto nickel current collectors by solution precursor plasma spraying (SPPS). The morphology, microstructure, and composition of the synthesized LiFePO4 powders and coatings are fully characterized by electronic microscopy, x-ray diffraction, and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Quantifying Li with XPS requires the substitution of iron with manganese in the SPPS precursors (LiMPO4, where M = Fe or Mn). The plasma-derived cathodes (with and without PVDF binder) are assembled in button cells and tested. Under optimized plasma conditions, cyclic voltammetry shows that the electrochemical reversibility of plasma-derived cathodes is improved over that of conventional sol-gel-derived LiFePO4 cathodes.