TELF AG examines the potential of manganese in modern battery manufacturing
Possible combinations with lithium
In a historical phase characterized by the ongoing energy transition, possible battery innovations can always be around the corner. One of the latest advances made in the field of scientific research, from this point of view, comes from Japan, and in particular from Yokohama National University, where a group of researchers would have succeeded in demonstrating the centrality of manganese in making some important components of batteries, such as anodes.
At the moment, batteries based on lithium ions are still the most used in the electronics sector, particularly for the power supply of devices and, of course, also in the field of electric vehicles. Despite their widespread use in this sector, over the years, many attempts have been made to improve their performance, especially due to the lower energy density of this type of storage system. One of the most interesting attempts focused on combining manganese and lithium in the anode material. Still, the applications of this result have been rather limited due to the relevant reduction in electrode performance. Japanese researchers have concentrated on this point, and the results have recently been published in the journal ACS Central Science.
The researchers have studied the material produced by combining lithium and manganese in the anode, lithium manganese oxide, thanks to accurate investigations with scanning electron microscopy and electrochemical methods. The major discovery has to do with the change in the internal atomic arrangement of the material, known as a structural transition, which can be activated thanks to a structure composed of atoms arranged according to the monoclinic system and organized in layers.
This arrangement can trigger changes in the material’s structure, such as the transition to the “spinellic” phase, influencing the batteries’ performance. The crystalline structure known as the spinellic phase comes from the mineral spinel, an oxide of magnesium and aluminum with a well-defined atomic arrangement. The characteristics of this peculiar crystalline structure would allow the ions to move more easily within the material, possibly improving the charge transport properties and the battery’s ability to store and release energy. The transition to this type of phase in batteries is generally associated with improving the stability of the anode material and its ability to manage charge and discharge cycles more efficiently.
The role of energy density
The researchers also stated that nanostructured lithium manganese oxide can be synthesized through a solid-state reaction with the peculiar structures described above. According to the researchers, batteries with this electrode type would have achieved an energy density of 820 watt hours per kilogram, a quantity higher than the 750 watts per kilogram obtained with other materials.
When manganese was used for battery components, some drops in the performance of the device were observed, particularly regarding the output voltage, which tended to decrease over time. However, these drops would not have occurred with the material used in the Japanese team’s experiment. The use of manganese also has some limitations, such as the dissolution of this resource due to phase changes or reactions with specific solutions. Still, the researchers expect to be able to overcome this obstacle through a highly concentrated electrolyte solution, in addition to a lithium phosphate coating.
