Low-Cost, Produceable Nanowire Cathode Materials for High-Power Lithium Batteries

Metal-doped manganese spinel cathode active material will be coated onto aluminum nanowires to improve the high-power performance of lithium-ion batteries. There are significant benefits of this innovation for MDA and other high power battery users: 1. The long thin wires provide four times the surface area to enhance high-power performance of the cathode 2. The aluminum wire provides good electrical conductance for the semiconductor active material and could reduce or eliminate the need for carbon black conductive additives 3. The process for coating aluminum nanowires will be simple and relatively inexpensive using mass-produced aluminum nanowires 4. The nanostructured manganese spinel will be more stable to Jann-Teller lattice distortion degradation during discharge This is a novel approach expected to increase cathode power capabilities by factors of four or greater. Metal-doped manganese precursors will be coated onto aluminum nanowires in solution phase (sol-gel) processes and calcined to form the desired spinel materials. These will be characterized with advanced instruments such as XRD and SEM. The high power capability of these new materials will be confirmed in lithium-ion test pouch cells.