Iron trifluoride cathode material or triple energy density of lithium battery

According to foreign media reports, the University of Maryland(UMD), the US Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory, and the US Army Research Laboratory(US Army Research Lab) have developed and studied a new type of cathode material-a modified design of iron fluoride. FeF3), this material may triple the energy density of the lithium ion battery electrode.

This material is usually used in lithium ion batteries, mainly due to intercalation chemistry methods. However, complexes such as iron trifluoride usually transmit multiple electrons through more complex conversion reactions.

Although the potential of FeF3 can increase the cathode capacity, the complex's historical performance in lithium ion batteries is not good because there are three major types of problems in the conversion reaction: low energy efficiency(lag phenomenon, Hysteresis), low reaction rate, side reactions, or shorten the service life of lithium batteries.

To overcome these technical challenges, the research team used a chemical substitution process to add cobalt yards and oxygen atoms to FeF3 nano-rods, enabling researchers to manipulate reaction pathways and achieve reversible reactions.

First, the researchers used a transmission electron microscope(Transmission electron microscope, TEM) to observe FeF3's nanometer rods at the Functional Nano-materials Research Center(CFN). The resolution is as high as 0.1 nanometers.

Subsequently, the researchers used the X-ray powder diffraction(XPD) beam line of the National synchronous radiation source II(NSLS-II) to make ultra-bright X-rays pass through the cathode material and then analyze the discrete light. The researcher may be able to visually present other information about the material's structure.

In order to evaluate the functionality of the cathode material, the combination of CFN and NSLS-II  highly advanced image and microscopic technology has become the key.

Researchers at the University of Maryland said that the research strategy may be applied to other high-energy conversion materials, and future research can also use this method to improve other battery systems

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