Lithium-Ion Batteries: Properties, Advantages and Limitations

This book summarises research progress in anode and cathode binders of lithium ion batteries in the past 20 years. So far, the binders reported in the literature involve polymers, natural extracts, conductive binders and self-healing binders. Additionally, the authors provide a comprehensive review of state-of-the-art progress in graphite-silicon anodes, from novel structure design to electrode fabrication, from half-coin-cell testing to pouch-full-cell evaluation, and from fundamental mechanistic studies to applied research. High-performance polymeric separators, which serve as an important component in lithium-ion batteries, are also attracting increased attention. The requirements for the separators, their types, preparation methods and latest developments are summarized. Following this, recent advancements in ab initio screening of electrode materials for lithium-ion batteries by the construction of activity-stability Volcano plots are summarised. The underlying approach may also be applied in the investigation of catalytic reactions. In closing, the authors examine the diffusion equation in curvilinear coordinates by using the method of characteristics. This method is commonly applied to solve first order partial differential equations.