Metal Fluoride Open Frameworks for Next-generation K-ion Battery Cathodes

用于下一代钾离子电池阴极的金属氟化物开放框架

• 批准号: EP/X041565/1
• 负责人: Xiao Hua
• 金额: $ 58.73万
• 依托单位: Lancaster University
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Research Grant
• 财政年份: 2024
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2024 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=EP%2FX041565%2F1
• 关键词: Metal; Fluoride; Open; Frameworks; Next

Recent environmental concern has raised our awareness of a low-carbon future, demanding immediate action towards sustainable energy solutions. Latest geopolitical events and rising energy prices have further stimulated a global sense of energy independence and security, calling for drastic expansion and deployment of homegrown renewable energy, such as wind, solar, tidal power etc, all of which require efficient grid storage systems for integration. It is in this context that batteries, particularly lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), come to the spotlight. Whilst LIBs have been dominating the market for mobility applications, such as portable electronics and electric vehicles, they also make up 90% of the current global grid storage market. However, Li's scarcity in Earth's crust with an uneven geographical distribution means that the Li-ion technology is not a sustainable net-zero solution in terms of affordability and ability to secure energy independence. In contrast, originating from the same alkali-metal family, K-ion chemistry shows several key advantages in its economic viability, strategic relevance, and cycling stability, placing K-ion batteries (KIBs) among the prioritised new battery technologies for future development, especially for stationary applications.This project aims to solve the bottleneck problem in the current KIB development on cathodes and will design a library of new metal fluoride open framework (MeFOF) materials that can meet the criteria for cathode application in both cost and durability. The design strategy of these materials stems from the structure diversity and chemical flexibility of the alkali-metal-fluoride chemistry and is corroborated by the recent progress in their mechanochemical synthesis. Their crystal structures are supported by corner-shared metal-fluoride-octahedra linkages and exhibit a variety of open-channel motifs with desirable cavity sizes to host large K ions. These unique motifs not only constitute a library of advantageous topologies for facile K ion transport, but also compose a robust and flexible scaffold for reversible K ion accommodation.In this work, an emphasis will be laid on elucidating the impact of the materials' cavity sizes, structural flexibility, and chemical substitution on their electrochemical performances. Through an investigation of MeFOFs' structure-property relationships, not only will their design principle and optimisation be established to facilitate KIB commercialisation, but a novel laboratory-based instrumentation for advanced atomic structure characterisation via pair distribution function technique will also be developed to expedite the development of novel functional materials that have complex structural properties, with a broader implication beyond energy storage.

最近的环境问题提高了我们对低碳未来的认识，要求立即采取行动实现可持续能源解决方案。最新的地缘政治事件和不断上涨的能源价格进一步激发了全球能源独立和安全意识，要求大力扩展和部署本土可再生能源，如风能、太阳能、潮汐能等，所有这些都需要高效的电网存储系统进行整合。正是在这种背景下，电池，特别是锂离子电池（LIB）成为人们关注的焦点。虽然锂离子电池一直在便携式电子产品和电动汽车等移动应用市场占据主导地位，但它们也占据了当前全球电网存储市场的 90%。然而，锂在地壳中的稀缺性和地理分布的不均匀性意味着，就负担能力和确保能源独立的能力而言，锂离子技术不是可持续的净零解决方案。相比之下，源自同一碱金属家族的钾离子化学在经济可行性、战略相关性和循环稳定性方面显示出几个关键优势，使钾离子电池（KIB）成为未来发展的优先新电池技术之一，该项目旨在解决当前KIB阴极开发的瓶颈问题，并将设计一个新型金属氟化物开放框架（MeFOF）材料库，使其在成本和耐用性方面都能满足阴极应用的标准。这些材料的设计策略源于碱金属氟化物化学的结构多样性和化学灵活性，并得到其机械化学合成的最新进展的证实。它们的晶体结构由共享角的金属氟化物八面体连接支撑，并表现出各种开放通道图案，具有理想的空腔尺寸以容纳大的 K 离子。这些独特的基序不仅构成了方便 K 离子传输的有利拓扑库，而且还构成了用于可逆 K 离子调节的坚固且灵活的支架。在这项工作中，重点将放在阐明材料空腔尺寸的影响上、结构灵活性和化学取代对其电化学性能的影响。通过对 MeFOF 结构-性能关系的研究，不仅将建立其设计原理和优化以促进 KIB 商业化，而且还将开发一种基于实验室的新型仪器，用于通过对分布函数技术进行高级原子结构表征，以加快 KIB 的商业化。开发具有复杂结构特性的新型功能材料，其意义不仅仅限于储能。