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LiFePO₄ Cathode Material Designed for Use in Lithium-Ion Batteries with Application to Electric and Hybrid-Electric Vehicles--TIAX, LLC, 15 Acorn Park, Cambridge, MA  02140; 617-498-5655, www.tiaxllc.com

Dr. Per Onnerud, Principal Investigator, onnerud.p@tiaxllc.com

Ms. Renee Wong, Business Official, wong.renee@tiaxllc.com 

DOE Grant No. DE-FG02-03ER83804

Amount:  $749,638

One of the factors limiting the rapid development of electric and  hybrid-electric vehicles (EV/HEV) is the cost and performance of batteries.  Lithium-ion battery technology represents the state-of-the-art for portable electronics, but in order to meet the demands of EV/HEV, further development is required, especially in the area of cathode materials.  LiMn₂O₄ and LiFePO₄ are candidate cathode materials for these applications in that they have suitably low cost.  However, demonstrations to date show that LiMn₂O₄ suffers from Mn dissolution into the electrolyte and possesses low capacity, both of which limit its use for EV/HEV.  LiFePO₄ has sufficiently high energy density but low conductivity, which limits high power capabilities.  This project will develop a LiFePO₄ cathode material that will allow lithium-ion technology to meet the demands of the EV/HEV application.  The approach combines molecular modeling, materials synthesis, and electrode fabrication.  The molecular modeling will identify chemical dopants that, when synthesized under appropriate conditions, will lead to improved material conductivity.  By carefully controlling the synthesis parameters, particle size and morphology will be optimized. The synthesized materials then will be formulated into electrodes and tested in lithium-ion battery systems.  In Phase I, proprietary doping and surface treatments were identified and used to demonstrate a LiFePO₄-based material with a power capability comparable to the current industry standard, LiCoO₂.  Phase II will optimize and demonstrate high conductivity (and hence high power ability) for LiFePO₄ samples produced using a low cost synthetic strategy.  An electrode formulation study will be used to incorporate the new material in 1Ah Li-ion cells with high specific power. 

Commercial Applications and Other Benefits as described by awardee:  The LiFePO₄ cathode material should be suitable for incorporation into large-scale lithium-ion batteries for application into hybrid electric vehicles.  LiFePO₄ can also serve as an environmentally friendly replacement of the LiCoO₂ material, which is too costly for today’s HEV lithium-ion battery applications.