High Energy Density and Ecofriendly Lithium-Ion Battery with Operando Health Evaluation

The resolution of the energy-environment dilemma demands protection the vulnerable and limited resources of Nature while meeting the growing energy demand of the world. This makes the sustainable development of renewable energy a mission of central importance. The success of this mission depends on the advances in storage technologies such as rechargeable batteries. Therefore, the rapidly growing battery market should provide both high energy density and waste-management solutions for the anticipated global annual battery waste of about two million metric tons.<br/>To address this dilemma, we developed self-standing composite electrodes for Li-ion batteries without electrochemically inactive metal current collectors, additives, and binders, increasing energy density by up to 40%. The resulted flexible electrodes were prepared via in situ mixing of as-grown single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) with aerosolized electrode active materials. Apparently, well dispersed pristine SWNT scaffold exhibits a piezoresistive effect. This intrinsic piezoresistance of SWNT network enables operando self-monitoring of battery structural health without implanting any new components into the battery architecture. Proposed new solution-free battery electrode fabrication technology and architecture eliminates environmentally harmful chemical compounds from the production line and enables recycling and recovery of active materials by only mechanical separation, aiming at safety and circular economy.