Exploring Different Metal-Oxide Cathode Materials for Structural Lithium-Ion Batteries Using Dip-Coating

David Petrushenko, Thomas Burns, Paul Ziehl, Ralph E. White and Paul T. Coman ()
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David Petrushenko: NASA Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, Propulsion and Power Division, Power Systems Branch, 2101 E. NASA Parkway, Houston, TX 77058, USA
Thomas Burns: Department of Chemical Engineering, University of South Carolina, 301 Main Street, Columbia, SC 29208, USA
Paul Ziehl: Departments of Mechanical and Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of South Carolina, 301 Main Street, Columbia, SC 29208, USA
Ralph E. White: Department of Chemical Engineering, University of South Carolina, 301 Main Street, Columbia, SC 29208, USA
Paul T. Coman: Department of Chemical Engineering, University of South Carolina, 301 Main Street, Columbia, SC 29208, USA

Energies, 2025, vol. 18, issue 16, 1-19

Abstract: In this study, a selection of active materials were coated onto commercially available intermediate modulus carbon fibers to form and analyze the performance of novel composite cathodes for structural power composites. Various slurries containing polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), active material powders, 1-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP) and carbon black (CB) were used to coat carbon fiber tows by immersion. Four active materials—lithium cobalt oxide (LCO), lithium iron phosphate (LFP), lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide (NMC), and lithium nickel cobalt aluminum oxide (NCA)—were individually tested to assess their electrochemical reversibility. The cells were prepared with a polymer separator and liquid electrolytes and assembled in 2025-coin cells. Electrochemical analysis of the cathode materials showed that at C/5 and room temperature the measured capacities ranged from 39.8 Ah kg −1 to 64.7 Ah kg −1 for the LFP and NCA active materials, respectively. The full cells exhibited capacities of 18.1, 23.5, 27.2, and 28.2 Ah kg −1 after 55 cycles for LFP, LCO, NCA, and NMC811, respectively. Finally, visual and elemental analysis were performed via scanning electron microscope (SEM) and energy-dispersive x-ray (EDX) confirming desirable surface coverage and successful transfer of the active materials onto the carbon fiber tows.

Keywords: structural batteries; dip-coating; NMC; NCA; LFP; multifunctional materials (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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