Influence of salt, solvents, and additives on the thermal stability of delithiated cathodes in lithium-ion batteries

The thermal stability of a fully delithiated cathode, coupled with an inorganic salt, organic solvents, and electrolyte, was evaluated with differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) to address the safety issue of lithium-ion batteries. The DSC experiments revealed that vinylene carbonate (VC)-based systems exhibit decreased thermal stability compared to other coexisting systems. The DSC analysis of the cathode and electrolyte in the presence of VC, employed as additives, confirmed the reduction in thermal stability. Our results suggested that VC additives, which have been recently employed to enhance the electrochemical performance in anodes, negatively affect the thermal properties and safety characteristics of the cathode in lithium-ion batteries.