Automotive application of lithium-ion batteries: A new generation of electrode materials

New researches suggest that the price of lithiumion batteries could fall dramatically by 2020, creating conditions for the widespread adoption of electrified vehicles in the markets. The aim of this work is to analyze the behavior of titania nanotubes acting as anode for lithium ion batteries. Titania is chemically stable, economically competitive, nontoxic, and an environmental sustainable. Potentiostatic processes were used to treat electrochemically small sheets of commercially pure grade-3 titanium in order to generate titania nanotubes on its surface. After that, the samples were used for to prepare the working electrodes and so tested in a electrochemical cell with lithium metal as anode and LiPF6 in EC-DMC 1:1 as electrolyte. Structural and morphologic characterization of the titania nanotubes have been done by RDX and SEM analysis, while galvanostatic cycles, for to highlight the electrochemical performance as electrodic material, have been made. A comparison of the electrochemical performance with a commercial nanostructured titanium oxide (P25 Degussa), TiO2 obtained by Laser and a commercial lithium titanate Li4Ti5O12 has been made. The TiO2 nanotube electrodes, obtained by our technical anodization, reduces the overall cell voltage and provides good capacity retention on cycling and higher capacity at all used C-rate was delivered.