Since the introduction of Li-ion batteries on the market in 1990’s by Sony, worldwide researchers have been working to find active materials for electrode with better performances (capacity, cyclability, efficiency, self discharge,…), lower cost and safer (thermal stability,…) than conventional electrode material. The preparation of new inorganic-organic hybrid materials able to insert/deinsert Li ions in the structure is a new opportunity to improve electrochemical but also physico-chemical properties of lithium battery electrode. As an example, it has been demonstrated that the size of the active particles but also their morphology play an important role regarding their electrochemical properties. Consequently chemists have to develop new synthetic pathways in order to obtain active material with new and well-defined organization and recently ionic liquids have emerged as a very promising solvent in order to obtain pure materials with new morphologies.
Due to its large background in lithium batteries, Laboratory of Materials for Batteries (CEA Grenoble) is involved in the evaluation of electrochemical properties of the new hybrid materials which are synthesized during the project.
The new active material is mixed with a binder and a conductive additive and coated on a metal sheet to form an electrode. This electrode is integrated in a coin cell assembly and electrochemically characterized by cycling on a battery testing system.
