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NEI Company Updates – Summer 2023

What’s New at NEI Corporation

June 21, 2023

We’re Expanding!

Since 2005, NEI Corporation has operated a 10,000 square foot, state-of-the-art materials manufacturing and testing facility in Somerset, New Jersey. This spring, NEI began expanding its facilities with an additional 9,200 square feet of space. The add-on facility will allow the company to install new equipment in order deliver larger quantities of materials to better serve its customers.


New Product: LMFP Electrode Sheets


NANOMYTE® BE-80E

NEI is excited to introduce Lithium Manganese Iron Phosphate (LiMnxFe(1-x)PO4) to its line of electrode sheets for Lithium-ion batteries. NANOMYTE® BE-80E is a cast electrode tape of LMFP, which is a new, higher nominal voltage variation of LFP.

Product PageView Spec Sheet


NEI Is Hiring – Join our Team!

NEI Corporation develops, manufactures, and supplies Specialty Materials for diverse industrial applications. NEI employs a multi-disciplinary group of motivated scientists and engineers and is looking for qualified individuals to join our team.


Have a Question?

Try our Frequently Asked Questions page, or you can contact us directly:

Phone: Call us at +1 (732) 868-3141 (Monday – Friday, 8:30 am to 5:30 pm ET)

Email: Send us a message and someone will be in touch with you soon.

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NEI Expands Selection of Materials for Lithium-ion & Sodium-ion Batteries

January 13, 2022

Somerset, New Jersey (USA) – Today, NEI Corporation announced customers can now order from an expanded selection of cathode, anode, and solid electrolyte materials for both lithium-ion and sodium-ion batteries. The company, which is a leader in the development, manufacture, and supply of specialty materials, has been a go-to organization for producing and delivering custom powders and dispersions of particles in liquids and polymers, as well as electrodes cast on metal foil.

NEI offers a variety of battery materials, with a particular forte in producing specialty materials with compositions and particle morphologies that are not commonplace. In addition, NEI has expertise in producing composite particles that have a surface coating. Off-the-shelf products are sold under the tradename NANOMYTE®.

“We want our customers to easily access high quality and consistent battery materials so they can focus on their core mission,” said Dr. Ganesh Skandan, CEO of NEI Corporation. “The NEI team stands ready, willing, and able to produce and supply materials that our customers want, in any quantity needed, for them to pursue their commercialization efforts.”

Particle Size Distribution graph of Na0.44MnO2+x , which is typical of most of NEI's sodium based cathode/anode powders

Particle size distribution (PSD) of Na0.44MnO2+x , which is typical of most of NEI’s sodium based cathode/anode powders.

NEI has been routinely supplying increasing quantities of simple metal oxide compositions such as Na0.44MnO2+x and Na0.7MnO2+x with a narrow particle size distribution. The portfolio of sodium-ion compositions now includes more complex materials, such as sodium iron phosphate (NaFePO4), sodium nickel phosphate (NaNiPO4), sodium titanium phosphate (NaTi2(PO4)3), sodium chromium oxide (NaCrO2), and others. The average aggregate particle size (D50) for most compositions can be tailored to be in the range of 1 – 2 µm, with the primary particles being much smaller. The particle structure can be further tuned to include a surface coating of carbon or a conducting polymer, such as polyaniline, PANI, or an ionically conducting ceramic material. Some of the materials have been tested and validated in-house using half-cell configuration (i.e., sodium metal anode). For example, Na0.44MnO2+x has a second cycle charge and discharge capacity that is > 105 mAh/g.

Second cycle charge/discharge profile of Na0.44MnO2+x cathode powder

In addition to engineering the particle morphology, all sodium-based cathode and anode materials can be supplied as cast electrodes on a current collector of choice. Customers can specify the active material, binder content, amount of conducting carbon and active material per unit area (in case of cathode and anode).

NEI Corporation has built a reputation for supplying consistent and high-quality solid electrolyte materials – oxide materials, such as Al-doped lithium lanthanum zirconium oxide (LLZO) and tantalum-doped LLZO (LLZTO), phosphate compounds, such as LATP or LAGP, and a variety of sulfide-based materials. While the average particle size (D50) for these standard powders is in the 3 – 5 microns range, customers can request a smaller D50.

Cole-Cole plot of sintered LAGP pellet

Cole-Cole plot of sintered LAGP pellet

The ionic conductivity of the oxide materials, measured in-house using Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy in a test cell shown in the inset of the picture (left), is in the range of 1 x 10-4 S/cm to 5 x 10-4 S/cm, and that of sulfides can be as high as 1 x 10-3 S/cm.

A recent and exciting development has been the offering of composite solid electrolyte materials in the form of either a polymer-based dispersion or cast membrane. Customers can choose any oxide ceramic solid electrolyte and a base polymer or co-polymer from PEO, PVDF, PVDF-HFP, and PAN. The type of lithium salt in the polymer can be selected from LiTFSI, LiClO4, LiFSI, and LiBOB.

In addition to increasing the suite of materials being offered, NEI has developed new materials synthesis capabilities, which serve as demonstration stations for exploring new compositions that are difficult to produce using conventional processing. A case in point is precursor materials obtained from recovered nickel, cobalt and manganese salts from recycled lithium-ion batteries. The solution-precipitation setup, installed at NEI, serves as a test-bed to determine processing parameters for materials such as NMC532 and NMC622, or any mixed metal oxide for that matter.

There is also increasing interest in cathode materials that are fluorinated and/or contain vanadium, which as multiple valence states and can lead to high capacities. To this end, NEI has produced LiFeSO4F and LiVPO4F with a high degree of crystallinity and phase purity.

Overall, the introduction of these new materials and processes will provide new capabilities to lithium battery developers and manufacturers to enable practical solid-state batteries. Dr. Skandan adds, “It is exciting for the team at NEI to tread on uncharted waters and explore synthesis and processing of new materials, and particularly using newly developed processes. We welcome the opportunity to serve the needs of the Battery community.”

Download Press Release (pdf) ↓


About NEI: Founded in 1997, NEI develops, manufactures, and sells advanced materials for a broad range of industrial customers around the world. The company’s core competencies are in designing, developing, and producing products that meet the specific application needs of its customers. More importantly, NEI is a solutions provider, working closely with customers to produce and implement materials for their applications. NEI’s products, which are sold under the registered trademark NANOMYTE®, are backed by a suite of issued and pending patents. NEI’s products include:  Lithium-ion Battery Materials, Na-ion Battery Materials, Functional & Protective Coatings, and Specialty Nanoparticle-based products. NEI also offers associated materials characterization and testing services.

For more information, give us a call or email us.

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Price Increases will go into effect on January 1, 2022

November 1, 2021

Dear Customers,

In recent months we have experienced significant increases in the cost of raw materials and labor, and we are now at a point that we can no longer shoulder the burden by ourselves. Unfortunately, we are not immune to the spike in inflation that all of us have been experiencing.

Starting January 1, 2022, you can expect to see a price increase of up to 6% depending on the type of product or service we offer. Any order placed between now and the end of this year will be honored at the current prices. We sincerely hope you understand the need for the price increase.

We thank you for being a valued customer.

Sincerely,
NEI Corporation

JWC Represents NEI at Interbattery 2020 in Korea

October 2020

NEI’s representive, Jung Won Corporation, was present at Korea’s Leading Battery Exhibition, InterBattery 2020, last week. For the past 6+ years, JWC has been NEI’s sales partner for solid state electrolyte materials in Korea.

NEI Corporation has been a long trusted source for commercial and custom solid electrolyte materials. Solid electrolytes conduct lithium ions at room temperature and can potentially replace conventional organic electrolytes, which are flammable and toxic, thereby drastically improving the safety of batteries. NEI is actively involved in producing different solid electrolyte materials of both oxide and sulfide-based compositions, as well as polymer-based electrolyte materials.

Sulfide Solid Electrolytes:

  • NANOMYTE® SSE-10 (“LSPS”) – Lithium Tin Phosphorus Sulfide (Li10SnP2S12) powder
  • “LPS” – Lithium Phosphorus Sulfide (β-Li3PS4)
  • “LPSCl” – Lithium Phosphorus Sulfur Chloride (Li6PS5Cl)
  • “LPSI” – Lithium Phosphorus Sulfur Iodide (Li7P2S8I)

Oxide Solid Electrolytes:

  • “LLZO” – Al-doped Lithium Lanthanum Zirconate (Li6.24La3Zr2Al0.24O11.98)
  • “LLZTO” – Ta-doped Lithium Lanthanum Zirconate (Li6.4La3Zr1.4Ta0.6O12)
  • “LATP” – Lithium Aluminum Titanium Phosphate (Li1.4Al0.4Ti1.6(PO4)3)
  • “LLTO” – Lithium Lanthanum Titanate (Li0.34La0.56TiO3)

Polymer Electrolytes:

For more information, please contact: salesinfo@jwc.co.kr

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3DBattery Company and NEI Corporation Receive BIRD Energy Program Grant

September 15, 2020

3DBattery Company and NEI Corporation receive grant from the BIRD Energy Program to take a Systems Approach to Next Generation of High Energy Density Lithium-ion Batteries

NEI Corporation (New Jersey, USA) and 3DBattery Company (headquartered in Israel), announced today that the BIRD Energy program has awarded the companies a $900,000 grant for the integration of an advanced anode material with a water-based electrode deposition process, leading to a new generation of high performance and low-cost Lithium-ion batteries. The eighteen-month project aims to first develop cathode materials that can be used with a water-based ion-conducting polymer binder, followed by pairing with a silicon-based anode. The performance of the new materials and associated processes will be demonstrated at the pouch-cell level.

SEM of coated cathode particles (NEI Corporation)

The grant was awarded by BIRD Energy, a program established by the U.S. Department of Energy and Israel’s Ministry of Energy together with the Israel Innovation Authority. The program is managed by the Israel-U.S. BIRD (Binational Industrial Research and Development) Foundation.

BIRD Energy has a rigorous review process and selects the most technologically meritorious projects along with those that are most likely to commercialize and bring about significant impact. Selected projects address energy challenges and opportunities that are of interest to both countries.

NEI Corporation is a leader in the development, manufacture and supply of specialty lithium-ion battery materials. NEI offers a variety of cathode, anode, and electrolyte materials, with a particular forte in producing specialty materials with compositions and particle morphologies that are not commonplace. In addition, NEI has expertise in producing composite particles that have a surface coating. All NEI products are sold under the tradename NANOMYTE®.

3DBattery Company is a startup company specializing in the design, development, and manufacture of innovative energy storage solutions. The company is bringing a paradigm change in the architecture of a lithium-ion cell. 3DB’s main product is a silicon-based anode (AnoSep®), which presents an economical and scalable solution to increase battery capacity, battery cyclability, and fast charging of at least 6C (10 minutes charge to full capacity). The company has vast experience in ion-conductive polymers, polymer synthesis, water-based slurries, battery electrochemical processes, thin-layer and surface phenomena, and particle coating.

The BIRD Energy funded project will enable NEI and 3DBattery to merge their disparate, yet complementing, technologies and capabilities toward a common goal of advancing the state of the art of Lithium-ion battery technology. The team has adopted a Systems Approach, wherein advances in materials and processing are integrated so as to deliver high performance in practical batteries.

“We are proud to support the project between 3DBattery and NEI Corporation to develop cathode and ion-conductive polymers that will lead to improved lithium ion batteries,” said Dr. Eitan Yudilevich, Executive Director of BIRD Foundation. “The BIRD Foundation will continue to support innovative projects that develop solutions for present and future challenges.” Mr. Erez Schreiber, CEO of 3DBattery Company, believes that cross-border partnership will be a key enabler in advancing the business interests of the company while focusing in technology development in Israel. 

Dr. Ganesh Skandan, CEO of NEI Corporation, said, “This is our first ever program through the BIRD Foundation, and we are excited to be working with 3DBBattery, who has a unique approach to ion-conducting binder materials, as well as anodes.”

3DBattery and NEI Corporation expect to roll out the first generation of their respective anode and cathode products by the end of the first quarter of 2021. The products will be optimized while the production is scaled through the rest of 2021.

Download Press Release (pdf) ↓


About 3DBattery Corporation
3DBattery (3DB) is a startup company based in Israel, specializing in the design, development, and manufacture of innovative energy storage solutions. 3DBattery(3DB) developing the next generation green, low-cost material synthesis and fabrication of high-performance lithium-ion batteries. Delivering high energy, high power, fast charging, and high cycling stability in-conjunction with intrinsically low fire propensity and advanced environmentally friendly fabrication technology. The company addresses all market segments, such as electro-mobility (EV and alike), energy storage (ESS), and specialty industries (like Medical Devices and Hearing Aids).

For more information, contact: contact@3DBattery.co.il | (+972) 54 9992112 | www.3dbattery.co.il

About NEI Corporation
NEI develops, manufactures, and sells advanced materials for a broad range of industrial customers around the world. The company’s core competencies are in designing, developing, and producing products that meet the specific application needs of its customers. More importantly, NEI is a solutions provider, wherein they don’t only produce materials, but also work closely with customers to implement them into their applications. NEI’s products, which are sold under the registered trademark NANOMYTE®, are backed by a suite of issued and pending patents. NEI’s products include: Functional & Protective Coatings, Lithium-ion Battery Materials, and Specialty Nanoparticle-based products.

For more information, contact: sales@neicorporation.com | +1 (732) 868-3141 | www.neicorporation.com

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NEI Introduces Three New Battery Materials to its Product Line

June 24, 2020

Somerset, NJ (USA) – NEI Corporation recently introduced three new products, further expanding its product line of Battery Electrode Sheets. The new materials cater to the growing need in the industry for high performance cathode and anode electrodes for lithium and lithium-ion batteries.

NANOMYTE® BE-70E is a cast electrode sheet of Sublimed Sulfur powder. Sulfur cathodes offer a high theoretical capacity of 1,672 mAh/g in a Li-S cell, which is an order of magnitude higher than those of the transition-metal oxide cathodes. The high capacity is based on the conversion reaction of sulfur to form lithium sulfide (Li2S) by reversibly incorporating two electrons per sulfur atom. Li−S cell consists of a lithium metal anode, an organic electrolyte, and a sulfur composite cathode, which leads to a theoretical cell capacity of 1,167 mAh/g. BE-70E has a practical capacity of at least 800 mAh/g. The discharge reaction has an average cell voltage of 2.15 V, resulting in a high theoretical gravimetric energy density of 2,509 Wh/kg at the cell level.

NANOMYTE® BE-150E is a cast electrode sheet of Silicon-Graphite composite powder. Silicon (Si) has attracted great attention due to its remarkably high theoretical specific capacity of ~4200 mAh/g, making it one of the most potential anode materials for advancing high-energy lithium-ion batteries. Si-Graphite composite (Si-C) offers the leverage to improve the electrochemical properties of Si with excellent stability attributed to the surrounding carbon-based matrix and improved electric conductivity network. Si-C tapes showed a nominal capacity of 750 mAh/g at 0.05C (electrode loading, 4 mAh/cm2) and demonstrated excellent cycling stability at 0.2C rate.

NANOMYTE® BE-400E is a cast electrode sheet of Niobium Oxide powder (Nb2O5), which is a new electrode material with pseudocapacitive charge storage being introduced to the market for the first time as a potential anode material. It is capable of exceptionally high rate charge as well as discharge (6 – 10C), with good cycling stability (1,000 – 3,000 cycles) and minimal heat generation during high-rate charge-discharge. The unique architecture of the oxide material enables rapid lithium diffusion on a macro and micro-scale enabling enhanced rate performance.

NEI offers a variety of cathode and anode electrode sheets, suitable for a wide range of Lithium-ion battery applications. Standard electrode sheets are cast single-side on 5″ x 10″ foil current collectors, and are available in ready-to-ship packages of 2, 5, and 10 sheets (per material). For customers with specific needs, tape specifications such as the active material loading, coating thickness, binder type (aqueous/non-aqueous), binder content, or current collector can be modified.

Additional Information: Specification Sheets ¦ Safety Data Sheets

Download Press Release (pdf) ↓

About NEI Corporation: NEI is an application driven company that utilizes nanotechnology to develop and produce advanced materials. The company’s core competencies are in synthesizing nanoscale materials and prototyping products that incorporate advanced materials. NEI Corporation offers cathode and anode materials (both powders and coated electrodes), and solid state electrolytes for use in lithium-ion batteries. We produce battery materials through our scalable and economical solid state synthesis process, which is adaptable to different materials compositions and particle morphologies.

For more information, give us a call or email us.

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NEI introduces NANOMYTE® SE-50, Polymer-Ceramic Composite Electrolyte

May 22, 2018

Somerset, NJ (USA) – NEI Corporation is excited to introduce its latest product: NANOMYTE® SE-50. The solid electrolyte is a hybrid, polymer-ceramic composite material for use in solid state lithium batteries. SE-50 has high Li+ ionic conductivity, is compatible with 5V cathode materials, and provides very low resistance in the cell, making the innovative material unique among available solid electrolytes.

The two key challenges for achieving high performance solid state batteries are the low ionic conductivity of many solid electrolytes and the large impedance posed by the electrode-electrolyte interface. SE-50 has been engineered to address these challenges by having a high Li+ ionic conductivity, combined with low interfacial resistance between the electrode and solid electrolyte. These properties are enabled by the unique elastomeric self-adhesive properties of the solid electrolyte. In addition, SE-50 has excellent electrochemical stability, which allows its use with high voltage cathode materials, such as NMC.

NANOMYTE® SE-50 is used as the separator and is added to the electrode as well, where it can be cast either into a free standing film or directly onto a cathode tape for cell assembly. When fabricating cells, the polymer-ceramic electrolyte is incorporated into the electrode tape in order to confer ionic conductivity to the electrode. This is in contrast to cells using a liquid electrolyte, where the liquid electrolyte molecules can get access to the pores in the electrode. When used in conjunction with traditional binders, such as PVDF, SE-50 serves as a conductive binder to afford Li+ conductivity in the electrodes and reduce the interfacial resistance between the cathode and electrolyte. After the cathode containing NANOMYTE® SE-50 is fabricated, the solid electrolyte can then be cast directly onto the cathode tape. The cathode and separator layers can then be combined with the anode to complete cell assembly.

Learn More »

About NEI Corporation:

NEI Corporation is an application driven company that utilizes nanotechnology to develop and produce advanced materials. The company’s core competencies are in synthesizing nanoscale materials and prototyping products that incorporate advanced materials. NEI Corporation offers cathode and anode materials (both powders and coated electrodes), and solid state electrolytes for use in lithium-ion batteries. We produce battery materials through our scalable and economical solid state synthesis process, which is adaptable to different materials compositions and particle morphologies.

For more information, give us a call or email us.

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Solid Electrolytes: Are we there yet?

Solid Electrolytes for Lithium-ion and Lithium-Sulfur Batteries: A Safer Solution

Lithium-ion batteries have provided a lightweight energy-storage solution that has enabled many of today’s high-tech devices – from smartphones to electric cars. Although these batteries are generally safe, fire and explosion concerns have caused the industry to seek solutions. The importance of safety has been highlighted by several rare, yet highly publicized battery hazards such as the explosion in a Japan Airlines 787 Dreamliner’s cargo hold in 2013 and Samsung’s Galaxy Note 7 catching fire, which resulted in the recall of more than 1 million smartphones in 2016. The combustion is mainly due to leakage of the liquid electrolyte, or short-circuit of the electrodes caused by the failure of the polymer gel separator, which also contains liquid.[1] For this reason, it is desirable to replace liquid components used in existing lithium-ion batteries with all solid materials.[2] This would not only solve the safety issue, but would also provide several other significant advantages, such as greater energy storage ability (pound for pound at the battery pack level), no dendrite formation (tiny, fingerlike metallic projections called dendrites that can grow through the electrolyte layer and lead to short-circuits), chemical and electrochemical stability over a wide voltage window (0 – 6V), and exceptionally long cycle life (>50,000 cycles)[3].

Solid state electrolytes can be broadly classified into three categories: (1) inorganic electrolytes, (2) solid polymer electrolytes (SPE), and (3) composite electrolytes. As the performance of batteries depends on the diffusion of lithium ions within the electrolyte, solid electrolytes need to have high ionic conductivity and negligible electronic conductivity. A summary is given here of the three classes of solid electrolyte materials. The data presented here is based on materials produced and measurements performed at NEI Corporation as part of NEI’s R&D program.

Inorganic Electrolytes

Inorganic solid state electrolytes present high lithium ionic conductivity at temperatures below their melting point. The highest room temperature conductivity reported for any inorganic solid electrolyte is 2.5 × 10−2 S/cm for Li9.54Si1.74P1.44S11.7Cl0.3,[4] which is comparable to the conductivity of a liquid electrolyte. Besides having impressive conductivity values, inorganic electrolytes are single ion conductors, allowing the lithium transference number to approach unity. These characteristics, and the absence of leakage and pollution, make the inorganic electrolyte a highly appealing electrolyte material for lithium-ion and lithium-sulfur batteries. Inorganic electrolytes can be either crystalline or amorphous (glass), or have mixed phases (glass-ceramic).

Sulfur Based Solid Electrolytes (Thio-LiSICONS)

One of the early crystalline lithium ion conductors was based on an oxide compound of lithium zinc germanium, Li14ZnGe4O16, which was reported by Hong.[5] This type of crystalline ion conductor is referred to as LISICON (lithium superconductor). Although the ionic conductivity of Li14ZnGe4O16 reaches 0.125 S/cm at 300°C, it is only 10-7 S/cm at room temperature. Efforts to improve the ionic conductivity of LISICON-type ion conductors have resulted in the replacement of oxygen by sulfur in the framework. Since the radius of S2- is greater than O2-, and S2- has better polarization capability than O2-, the substitution weakens the interaction between the crystal lattice and Li+ ions, thus fostering Li+ ion transport. The incorporation of sulfides in the form of partial sulfide substitution (e.g., oxy-sulfide[6]  compounds) or full sulfide substitution[7] can raise the room temperature conductivity of the electrolyte to about ~10-3 S/cm. An example of the highly conductive sulfur substituted LISICON ion conductor is , Lithium Germanium Phosphorous Sulfide (LGPS). Li10GeP2S12 is a superionic conducting solid that conducts lithium ions at room temperature with conductivity in the range of 10-4 S/cm to 10-2 S/cm, depending on material form (powder, pellet, or sintered pellet) and measurement conditions.

Since germanium is an expensive rare earth element, a similar material was synthesized replacing germanium with much less expensive tin, yielding a crystalline LISICON type ion conductor, Li10SnP2S12, Lithium Tin Phosphorous Sulfide (LSPS), which has conductivity slightly lower than that of LGPS, but is much more affordable. Basic characteristics of the Lithium Tin Phosphorous Sulfide powder produced at NEI Corporation are listed here. The solid electrolyte is phase pure and has Li-ion conductivity in the range of 10-4 to 10-2 S/cm (approaching that of liquid electrolytes) depending upon material/pellet processing conditions, and electrochemically stable up to 6V.

More recently, Li9.54Si1.74P1.44S11.7Cl0.3 and Li9.6P3S12 have been reported. Exceptional room temperature conductivity (2.5 x 10-2 S/cm for Li9.54Si1.74P1.44S11.7Cl0.3) as well as high stability (∼0 V versus Li metal for Li9.6P3S12) were achieved1. NEI has successfully produced the following sulfur based solid electrolytes: (LSPS – Li10SnP2S12, LGPS – Li10GeP2S12, β-LPS – Li3PS4, LPSCl – Li6PS5Cl, LSPSCl – Li9.54Si1.74P1.44S11.7Cl0.3, and LPS – Li9.6P3S12) in bulk quantities (gram to kilogram scale).

Oxide Based Garnet-Type Solid Electrolytes

Garnet-type lithium solid electrolytes have a general formula of Li5La3M2O12 where M can be Ta or Nb. These were first reported in 2005[8] and have been intensively studied in recent years. The most attractive property of this class of crystalline solid electrolyte is its excellent chemical stability against lithium metal and also against moisture, in addition to its high ionic conductivity. These materials can be handled in a dry room. An example of the Garnet-type solid electrolyte is Li6BaLa2Ta2O12, which displays a room temperature conductivity of 4 x 10-5 S/cm and a low grain boundary resistance.[9] When the Garnet-type solid electrolyte Li5La3M2O12 was partially substituted at the M site by Y or In, conductivity was further improved. For example, the composition Li5.5La3Nb1.75In0.25O12 showed an enhanced conductivity of 1.8 x 10-4 S/cm at 50 °C with a low activation energy of 49.2 kJ/mol.[10] Another composition, Li6.5La3Nb1.25Y0.75O12, showed a high conductivity of 2.7 x 10-4 S/cm at 25 °C.[11]

Most recently, a Garnet-type Lithium Lanthanum Zirconate (LLZO – Li7La3Zr2O12) has quickly become a promising solid electrolyte for all solid-state lithium and lithium ion batteries because of its high conductivity (> 10−4 S/cm) at room temperature, excellent thermal performance, and stability versus Li metal and oxygen. The material shows great potential to offer high energy density and minimize battery safety concerns to meet many applications in large energy storage systems such as electric vehicles and aerospace. LLZO exists in tetragonal and cubic crystal structures, with the cubic phase displaying about two orders of magnitude higher ionic conductivity than that of tetragonal phase. The cubic phase is stabilized by doping with Al or Ga.

Al or Ga-doped LLZO (Li6.24La3Zr2Al0.24O11.98 and Li6.24La3Zr2Ga0.24O11.98) have been synthesized at NEI Corporation in various batch sizes. Both the materials are fairly phase pure, crystallized in cubic phase (see PXRD pattern) and have room temperature conductivity in the order of 10-4 – 10-5 S/cm, depending upon the pellet processing and annealing condition (see the impedance plot below). Negligible electronic conductivity, large band gap (~6 eV) and wide electrochemical stability window (0 – 6V), are attractive properties for this material.[12]

Oxide Based Perovskite-Type Solid Electrolytes

Lithium Lanthanum Titanate (LLTO), Li0.5La0.5TiO3, with Perovskite structure has been considered to be a promising solid electrolyte material for lithium-ion and lithium-oxygen batteries due to numerous outstanding advantages, such as: (i) high lithium conductivity at room temperature, (ii) high lithium diffusion coefficient, (iii) low electronic conductivity, and (iv) electrochemical stability window larger than 4 V. NEI has prepared LLTO and various metal doped LLTO (e.g., Al-doped LLTO), and analyzed the crystal structure, particle size, and conductivity.

 

 

 

 

There are two challenges that LLTO electrolyte faces: grain boundary resistance and instability against lithium metal. Although the bulk conductivity of LLTO can reach 10-3 S/cm at room temperature, the grain boundary conductivity is relatively low (10-5 S/cm).[13]

Phosphate Based LISICON-Type Solid Electrolytes

Lithium Aluminum Titanium Phosphate (LATP) is a phosphate based LISICON (Lithium Super Ionic Conductor) with the general molecular formula Li1+xAlxTi2-x(PO4)3, which shows high ionic conductivity of ~10-3 S/cm for x = 0.3 composition. It is electrochemically stable above 1.8 V and thermally stable up to 1000 °C. Phosphate based LISICON type materials have applications in batteries, fuel cells, gas sensors, catalysis, and low thermal expansion ceramics. NEI has synthesized LATP compositions and its sodium analogs (NaSICON) and studied the conductivity.[14]

Sulfide Based Glassy and Glass-Ceramic Solid Electrolytes

Sulfur based glassy and glass-ceramic solid electrolytes, such as Li2S–SiS2[15] and Li2S–P2S5,[16] can achieve ionic conductivity of 10-5 S/cm to 10-3 S/cm due to the high polarizability of sulfur ions. A general composition of the Li2S–P2S5 system can be represented by x Li2S + (1-x) P2S5, where x is the molar fraction. The Li2S–P2S5 system varies widely in crystal form, crystal content, and the resulting ionic conductivity, depending on the composition and processing method. Usually, the grain-boundaries around crystal domains in Li2S–P2S5 glass–ceramics are surrounded by amorphous phases. Therefore, these glass-ceramic solid electrolytes often have lower grain boundary resistance than in polycrystalline systems, which results in improvement in the observed total conductivity.

The composition of x Li2S + (1-x) P2S5 when x = 0.75, or Li3PS4, represents the most stable chemical in the Li2S−P2S5 system. The crystal domains of Li3PS4 exist in either γ or b phase – among these b phase is the more ionically conductive material. β-Li3PS4 (β-LPS) is a “superionic” solid that conducts lithium ions at room temperature. β-LPS synthesized at NEI is phase pure and has a Li-ion conductivity of 10-4 – 10-5 S/cm, depending upon material/pellet processing conditions. The material is electrochemically stable versus lithium over a wide voltage window (0 – 5V).

Although the best of the inorganic solid electrolytes have demonstrated high ionic conductivity comparable to liquid electrolytes, several limitations have to be overcome before they can be widely used as solid electrolyte. First, bulk conductivity is usually higher than grain boundary conductivity, which makes the total conductivity smaller than the intrinsic bulk conductivity, unless the material is sintered at high temperature and pressure. A related and often asked question is that if sintering is not an economically viable method, what processing alternatives are available to utilize these highly ionic conducting powders? Second, a critical issue for the development of high power, solid-state lithium batteries is the high resistance at the electrode/solid electrolyte interface. Inorganic solid electrolytes are generally not flexible enough to handle the stress developed as a result of volumetric expansion/contraction of the electrodes. Therefore, how to create and maintain a favorable interface between the electrode and solid electrolyte is a challenge. Polymer electrolytes when used alone, or in combination with inorganic electrolytes, have the potential to address both of these issues pertaining to inorganic solid electrolytes.

Solid Polymer Electrolytes (SPE)

The most common solid polymer electrolytes (SPE) for rechargeable solid-state lithium batteries are composed of low lattice energy lithium salts (e.g., LiClO4, LiN(CF3SO2)2, LiCF3SO3, or LiBC4O8) dissolved in polyether-containing polymers such as poly(ethylene oxide), poly(propylene oxide), or poly(ethylene glycol). Other polymers have also been studied, such as polyphosphazenes, which have oligoethyleneoxy side chains to facilitate lithium ion conduction and reduce glass transition temperature (Tg). Since solid polymer electrolytes are flexible and can be easily made into free standing membranes, they have been predominantly used as solid electrolytes in a variety of electrochemical devices. A traditional dry, PEO-based electrolyte has a severe drawback in that its conductivity only becomes sufficient at elevated temperatures (above 60 °C). PEO is a semi-crystalline material where PEO crystalline and amorphous domains co-exist. It has been widely accepted that ion transport occurs in the amorphous region. PEO crystals melt above 60 °C and a jump of conductivity is observed above the melting point. To overcome this limitation, polymer gel electrolytes were developed. These are crosslinked polymer networks with liquid electrolyte imbibed to boost the room temperature ionic conductivity, which generally exceeds 1×10-3 S/cm. However, the liquid electrolyte in gel polymer electrolytes still poses safety issues, and the polymer gel has inferior mechanical properties. For these reasons, there is renewed interest in developing truly dry polymer electrolyte systems and some systems have room temperature conductivity values approaching 10-4 S/cm. We discuss only the 100% solid polymer electrolyte here.

One of the polymers developed at NEI Corporation using the copolymer strategy is H-polymer. As a 100% solid material, H-polymer combines the benefits of high room temperature lithium-ion conductivity (5 x 10-5 S/cm) with good mechanical properties of a solid polymer. H-polymer is a PEO-based copolymer with PEO segments in the polymer backbone that has four orders of magnitude higher room temperature conductivity than that of pure PEO. The significant improvement of room temperature conductivity is due to the amorphous nature of PEO segments in the copolymer. H-polymer can be used as a separator, or as a conductive binder for active cathode and anode materials.

Another series of copolymers that shows good room temperature conductivity has been reported in the literature.[17] These are POEA-g-PDMS or POEM-g-PDMS copolymers, which are graft copolymers made of grafted PEO chains and grafted PDMS (poly(dimethylsiloxane)) chains. The oligomeric nature of PEO segments prevents it from crystallizing and the low Tg PDMS segments make the polymer a rubbery flexible ionic conductor, where the conductivity reaches in the range of 10-5 S/cm to 10-4 S/cm at room temperature.

Composite Electrolytes

Composite electrolytes are SPEs with sub-micron or nano- sized inorganic particles dispersed in the polymer matrix. Adding inorganic particles induces a favorable interaction between the ceramic surface states and the anions of both the lithium salt and PEO segments, thereby promoting lithium-ion transport and inhibiting polymer crystallite formation. This results in enhanced ionic conductivity, promoting interfacial stability at Li/Li+ interface, suppressing the growth of dendrites, improving mechanical properties, and increasing Li+ transference number. It has been found that particle size is important and nanoparticles are more effective than larger particles. One to two orders of magnitude enhancement in room temperature ionic conductivity can be realized with the addition of ceramic nanoparticles in an SPE host, compared to the undispersed system, along with improvements in the physical, mechanical and electrochemical properties. A few of the ceramic nanoparticles that have been investigated that demonstrated a significant improvement in conductivity are Al2O3, SiO2, TiO2, ZrO2, and BaTiO3.

Most of the systems studied involve inert ceramic particles and PEO with lithium salt. NEI Corporation has explored producing composite electrolytes using active ionic conductive inorganic particles in a conductive polymer host. For example, by incorporating LLZO in H-polymer, we were able to fabricate mechanically sturdy electrolyte membranes/separators with conductivity approaching 10-4 S/cm.

Opportunity for New Materials Development

Market-driven interest in developing practical solid electrolyte materials for use in Lithium-ion and Lithium-sulfur batteries has created opportunities for producing materials with new compositions, chemistry and morphology. Being able to process the material in a usable form is the key to enabling commercial utilization of the solid electrolyte materials. Combining the attributes of inorganic and organic solid electrolyte materials offers a path to high ionic conductivity materials wherein the high ionic conductivity of inorganic electrolytes is combined with the processing advantages and superior mechanical properties of solid polymer electrolytes.

About NEI Corporation

NEI Corporation is an applications-driven company that develops and produces advanced materials. NEI Corporation offers specialty cathode and anode materials (both powders and coated electrodes), and solid state electrolytes for use in lithium-ion and lithium-sulfur batteries. NEI produces battery materials through a scalable and economical synthesis process, which is adaptable to different materials compositions and particle morphologies. The company also offers battery materials development and cell-level testing services.

Contact Us »

 


References:

[1] http://www.nydailynews.com/news/scientists-solve-mystery-flaming-laptops-article-1.445634

[2] https://chargedevs.com/newswire/japanese-researchers-use-superionic-conductors-as-electrolytes-for-solid-state-batteries/

[3] https://www.excellatron.com/advantage.htm

[4] Y. Kato, S. Hori, T. Saito, K. Suzuki, M. Hirayama, A. Mitsui, M. Yonemura, H. Iba, and R. Kanno, Nature Energy, 2016, 3, 438-446, and references therein

[5] H. Y.-P. Hong, Mater. Res. Bull., 1978, 13, 117.

[6] S. Kondo, K. Takada, and Y. Yamaura, Solid State Ionics, 1992, 53-56, 1183.

[7] J. H. Kennedy and Y. Yang, J. Solid State Chem., 1987, 69, 252.

[8] V. Thangadurai, and W. J. Weppner, J. Am. Ceram. Soc., 2005, 88, 411–418.

[9] V. Thangadurai, and W. J. Weppner, Adv. Funct. Mater., 2005, 15, 107–112.

[10] V. Thangadurai, and W. J. Weppner, J. Solid State Chem., 2006, 179, 974–984.

[11] S. Narayanan, F. Ramezanipour, and V. Thangadurai, J. Phys. Chem.C 2012, 116, 20154.

[12] T. Thompson et al, Energy Letters, 2017, 2, 462-468.

[13] C. W. Ban, and G. M. Choi, Solid State Ionics, 2001, 140, 285–292.

[14] N. Anantharamulu et al, J. Mater. Sci. 2011, 46, 2821.

[15] N. Machida, and T. Shigematsu, Chem. Lett. 2004, 33, 376–377.

[16] M. Tatsumisago, Solid State Ionics, 2004, 175, 13–18.

[17] Q. Hu, A. Caputo, D. R. Sadoway, J. Vis. Exp., 2013, 78, 50067.

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DOE SBIR/STTR Programs Highlights NANOMYTE® SSE-10 Solid Electrolyte

A Safer Replacement for Highly Flammable Liquids Currently Used in Li-ion Batteries

NEI replaced liquid with solid material that allows for a no-liquid battery.

“An all-solid lithium-ion battery architecture, based on the solid electrolyte developed at NEI, will lead to safer, high-energy batteries that are needed for consumer and industrial applications. These applications include hybrid electric vehicles and electric vehicles, portable consumer customer electronics (laptops, tablets, digital cameras, smart phones, etc.), renewable energy technologies (solar and wind energy) that use electrochemical storage, and power tools.”

NEI_SBIR_Highlight_LSPS_Pic

Read the full article on the DOE website: http://science.energy.gov/sbir/highlights/2015/sbir-2015-11-b/

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NEI Expands NANOMYTE® Lithium Battery Product Line

September 9, 2015

Somerset, New Jersey (USA) – NEI Corporation, a leading developer and manufacturer of specialty cathode, anode, and electrolyte materials for Lithium-ion batteries, has announced an expansion of its NANOMYTE® Lithium Battery Product Line. The new products include:

NEI also offers oxide and sulfide electrolyte powders and dispersions, such as:

Specialty compositions and particle morphologies of your choice can also be custom produced.

About NEI Corporation:
NEI offers cost-effective, comprehensive materials development, characterization, & electrochemical testing services to its customers. As a long, trusted source for materials used in lithium-ion batteries and supercapacitors, we are also well positioned to reproducibly synthesize small and large quantities of custom cathode, anode, and solid electrolyte compositions. We create a custom materials solution to meet your requirements through a structured approach involving specified milestones, and all work is done in a highly confidential manner.

We look forward to serving your battery needs!

For more information, contact:
Ms. Krista Martin
+1 (732) 868‐3141
sales@neicorporation.com
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