Ultra-stable and Low-Cost Dual-Gradient Cathode for High-Performance All-Electric Vehicles
Category: Mechanical/Materials
Developers: Argonne National Laboratory
Product Description:Argonne National Laboratory has developed a dual-gradient NMC cathode in which both composition and structure vary from the particle core to the surface. The material features a nickel-rich, nearly cobalt-free core that transitions to a cobalt-enriched shell, and an ordered layered core that becomes more disordered at the surface. This architecture enables stable cycling at 4.5 V and has been demonstrated up to 4.7 V with negligible capacity decay in laboratory cells. In tests, cells lost ≈2% capacity after 500 cycles. By concentrating cobalt near the surface, the interior Co content drops below approximately 2% (down from roughly 10–20% in earlier designs) with a stated goal near 1%, reducing cobalt dependency and cost while improving high-voltage stability. The work targets electric vehicles and grid energy storage, with analyses also indicating improved thermal stability versus conventional NMC.
Developers: Argonne National Laboratory
Product Description:Argonne National Laboratory has developed a dual-gradient NMC cathode in which both composition and structure vary from the particle core to the surface. The material features a nickel-rich, nearly cobalt-free core that transitions to a cobalt-enriched shell, and an ordered layered core that becomes more disordered at the surface. This architecture enables stable cycling at 4.5 V and has been demonstrated up to 4.7 V with negligible capacity decay in laboratory cells. In tests, cells lost ≈2% capacity after 500 cycles. By concentrating cobalt near the surface, the interior Co content drops below approximately 2% (down from roughly 10–20% in earlier designs) with a stated goal near 1%, reducing cobalt dependency and cost while improving high-voltage stability. The work targets electric vehicles and grid energy storage, with analyses also indicating improved thermal stability versus conventional NMC.
