Strategic Communications and Marketing News Bureau

Electroplating delivers high-energy, high-power batteries

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — The process that makes gold-plated jewelry or chrome car accents is now making powerful lithium-ion batteries.

Researchers at the University of Illinois, Xerion Advanced Battery Corporation and Nanjing University in China developed a method for electroplating lithium-ion battery cathodes, yielding high-quality, high-performance battery materials that could also open the door to flexible and solid-state batteries.

An electron micrograph cross-section shows aluminum foil plated with lithium cobalt oxide, a common material in lithium-ion batteries.

An electron micrograph cross-section shows aluminum foil plated with lithium cobalt oxide, a common material in lithium-ion batteries.

“This is an entirely new approach to manufacturing battery cathodes, which resulted in batteries with previously unobtainable forms and functionalities,” said Paul V. Braun, a professor of materials science and engineering and director of the Frederick Seitz Materials Research Lab at Illinois. He co-led the research group that published its findings in the journal Science Advances.

Traditional lithium-ion battery cathodes use lithium-containing powders formed at high temperatures. The powder is mixed with gluelike binders and other additives into a slurry, which is spread on a thin sheet of aluminum foil and dried. The slurry layer needs to be thin, so the batteries are limited in how much energy they can store. The glue also limits performance.

“The glue is not active. It doesn’t contribute anything to the battery, and it gets in the way of electricity flowing in the battery,” said co-author Hailong Ning, the director of research and development at Xerion Advanced Battery Corporation in Champaign, a startup company co-founded by Braun. “You have all this inactive material taking up space inside the battery, while the whole world is trying to get more energy and power from the battery.”

The researchers bypassed the powder and glue process altogether by directly electroplating the lithium materials onto the aluminum foil.

Electroplating can be applied to textured, three-dimensional or flexible substrates, opening the door to new battery designs. The right side of this quarter was plated with lithium cobalt oxide.

Electroplating can be applied to textured, three-dimensional or flexible substrates, opening the door to new battery designs. The right side of this quarter was plated with lithium cobalt oxide.

Since the electroplated cathode doesn’t have any glue taking up space, it packs in 30 percent more energy than a conventional cathode, according to the paper. It can charge and discharge faster as well, since the current can pass directly through it and not have to navigate around the inactive glue or through the slurry’s porous structure. It also has the advantage of being more stable.

Additionally, the electroplating process creates pure cathode materials, even from impure starting ingredients. This means that manufacturers can use materials lower in cost and quality and the end product will still be high in performance, eliminating the need to start with expensive materials already brought up to battery grade, Braun said.

“This method opens the door to flexible and three-dimensional battery cathodes, since electroplating involves dipping the substrate in a liquid bath to coat it,” said co-author Huigang Zhang, a former senior scientist at Xerion who is now a professor at Nanjing University.

The electroplating method could enable flexible, three-dimensional battery designs. This electroplated aluminum foil rolled up without cracking.

The electroplating method could enable flexible, three-dimensional battery designs. This plated aluminum foil rolled up without cracking.

The researchers demonstrated the technique on carbon foam, a lightweight, inexpensive material, making cathodes that were much thicker than conventional slurries. They also demonstrated it on foils and surfaces with different textures, shapes and flexibility.

“These designs are impossible to achieve by conventional processes,” Braun said. “But what’s really important is that it’s a high-performance material and that it’s nearly solid. By using a solid electrode rather than a porous one, you can store more energy in a given volume. At the end of the day, people want batteries to store a lot of energy.”

The U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science supported this work at the U. of I. Materials science and engineering professor Jian-Min Zuo also was part of the Illinois team.

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Editor’s notes: To reach Paul Braun, call 217-244-7293; email pbraun@illinois.edu.                       

The paper “Electroplating lithium transition metal oxides” is available online. DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.1602427

Read Next

Life sciences Portrait of the research team posing together.

Minecraft players can now explore whole cells and their contents

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Scientists have translated nanoscale experimental and computational data into precise 3D representations of bacteria, yeast and human epithelial, breast and breast cancer cells in Minecraft, a video game that allows players to explore, build and manipulate structures in three dimensions. The innovation will allow researchers and students of all ages to navigate […]

Arts Photo of seven dancers onstage wearing blue tops and orange or yellow flowing skirts. The backdrop is a Persian design.

February Dance includes works experimenting with live music, technology and a ‘sneaker ballet’

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — The dance department at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign will present February Dance 2025: Fast Forward this week at Krannert Center for the Performing Arts. February Dance will be one of the first performances in the newly renovated Colwell Playhouse Theatre since its reopening. The performances are Jan. 30-Feb. 1. Dance professor […]

Honors portraits of four Illinois researchers

Four Illinois researchers receive Presidential Early Career Award

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Four researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign were named recipients of the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers, the highest honor bestowed by the U.S. government on young professionals at the outset of their independent research careers. The winners this year are health and kinesiology professor Marni Boppart, physics professor Barry Bradlyn, chemical and biomolecular engineering professor Ying […]

Strategic Communications and Marketing News Bureau

507 E. Green St
MC-426
Champaign, IL 61820

Email: stratcom@illinois.edu

Phone (217) 333-5010