ABSTRACT
In the 1980s, Professor John B. Goodenough at the University of Texas, Austin, developed crucial cathode materials for the rechargeable lithium-ion battery (LIB) [1]. However, the first commercial LIB was released by Sony and Asahi Kasei in 1991 [2]. In the most common configuration, an LIB is formed by a graphite anode, a lithium metal oxide (e.g., LiCoO2) cathode, and a separator soaked with a liquid solution of a lithium salt. As compared with conventional lead-acid and nickel-metal hydride (Ni-MH) batteries, lithium-ion batteries are lighter, have higher operational voltage, and have a higher energy density-ranging from 100 to 265 Wh/kg. Such features make them the power sources of choice for portable electronic devices such as cell phones, laptop computers, digital cameras/video cameras, and portable audio/game players. In 2011, laptops and cellphones dominated battery markets and accounted for $9.7 billion in revenue [3]. Recently, clean energy and sustainable development have promoted the application of lithium-ion batteries in both stationary electrical energy storage, to improve grid reliability and utilization, and in transportation electrification, to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and decrease dependence on oil. The Boston Consulting Group has reported that, by 2020, the global market for advanced batteries for electric vehicles (EVs) is expected to reach US $25 billion [4], which is more than double the size of today’s entire LIB market for consumer electronics.
