Lithium ion batteries are commonplace and they are used in most electronic devices. While the performance of these types of batteries has improved, the batteries have poor electronic conductivity and this can lead to performance issues.
The battery is composed of a nanocomposite; the material is composed of MXene, which is a two dimensional material which has apparent “graphene-like” properties and a similar structure. MXene can be used in conjunction with standard lithium ion battery structures.
MXene, which can also function to cause atoms to stick together, was discovered as part of the on-going research into graphene. This research has led to the discovery of several two dimensional materials of interest. However, it is MXene and its application in terms of energy storage that has attracted the most interest.
Development of the battery comes from Henan Polytechnic University in China and The University of Manchester. Lead researcher Dr. Xuqing Liu explained to Controlled Environments magazine how the new batteries present an advantage over current technology: “We have successfully prepared a novel hybrid nanocomposite which has an excellent electrochemical performance for lithium ion batteries.”
The researcher adds: “This exceptional electrochemical performance can be attributed to the improvement of electronic conductivity by nano-size lithium particles in the composite. This means the developed nanocomposite has an excellent capability for energy capacity and retention.”
The following video provides further details:
Here nanocomposites are of importance since they form the structural basis of the new material, and enable the special physical properties to be realized. In this context these properties are improved energy storage, capacity and performance.
The new research has been published in the Journal of Alloys and Compounds. The research is titled “The Novel Li4Ti5O12/Ti3C2Tx nanocomposite as a high rate anode material for lithium ion batteries.”
