Nano-Confined Transition Metal Oxide Thin-Films Created Via Electrostatic Spray Deposition for Use As Anode Materials in Lithium Ion Batteries

The development of high capacity rechargeable lithium-ion batteries is crucial given the insatiable energy demands that come with the rapidly-developing technological landscape. One of the major areas of research focus is the development of high performance advanced electrochemical materials. Transition metal oxides (M x O y ) are one of the most widely studied classes of materials given their high theoretical capacities. However, such materials often exhibit large volumetric expansion during the cycling processes due to their lithium storage mechanisms, in addition to poor electronic conductivities. One of the methods to resolve these issues is the confinement of nano-scale particulates of various transition metal oxides with the interest of improving their charge storage capability, rate capability, and the longevity of their performance with cycling. Confinement of metal oxide nanoparticles (e.g. SnO 2 ) within carbon nanotubes has been shown to improve the performance of these anode materials versus unconfined metal oxides. The increased surface area, enhanced interfacial charge storage and enhanced electrical conductivity contribute to improved electrochemical performance. Here, electrostatic spray deposition (ESD) is used to create a thin film of the anode materials of interest for subsequent property testing of the assembled LIBs. This presentation will give the details of the techniques used to produce the desired anode materials and their electrochemical characterization as LIB anodes.