Technology Overview 

Argonne’s family of manganese and lithium rich materials includes a range of cathode structures, including layered-type structures, spinel-type structures, rocksalt-type structures, and combinations thereof. For example, ​“layered-layered-spinel” materials with high-rate and stable voltage that are composed of lithium manganese nickel oxides have been discovered and can be used to replace high-energy multi- component ​“layered-layered” type or single-phase high-rate spinel-type structures for lithium cells and batteries. 
See Surface structures, treatments and coatings for high-voltage lithium metal oxide electrodes for complementary surface treatment and coating technologies. 

Benefits 

• These new material compositions provide substantially higher capacities than state-of-the-art layered lithium/cobalt/nickel/oxide materials, such as nickel-manganese-cobalt (NMC).
• Due to the spinel component, these cathodes are endowed with high power where they can be charged and discharged rapidly. 
• The multi-component nature of these materials can be optimized in the phase space in the figure according to the manufacturer’s needs. 
• Manganese is less expensive to use and more chemically benign than cobalt or nickel. Either low-cost elements and/or other elements may be doped into the structure to provide better performance, at a lower cost, as needed.

Applications and Industries 

Electrodes used in batteries for: 

• Electric and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles,
• Stationary energy storage systems,
• Portable electronic devices, 
• Medical devices, and 
• Space, aeronautical, and defense-related devices. 

Developmental Stage 

Ready for commercialization.