Yang‐Kook Sun

Energy production and storage technologies have attracted a great deal of attention for day-to-day applications. In recent decades, advances in lithium-ion battery (LIB) technology have improved living conditions around the globe. LIBs are used in most mobile electronic devices as well as in zero-emission electronic vehicles. However, there are increasing concerns regarding load leveling of renewable energy sources and the smart grid as well as the sustainability of lithium sources due to their

A critical overview of the latest developments in the lithium ion batteries technology is reported. We first describe the evolution in the electrolyte area with particular attention to ionic liquids, discussing the expected application of these room temperature molten salts and listing the issues that still prevent their practical implementation. The attention is then focused on the electrode materials presently considered the most promising for enhancing the energy density of the batteries. At

Ni‐rich layered oxides and Li‐rich layered oxides are topics of much research interest as cathodes for Li‐ion batteries due to their low cost and higher discharge capacities compared to those of LiCoO 2 and LiMn 2 O 4 . However, Ni‐rich layered oxides have several pitfalls, including difficulty in synthesizing a well‐ordered material with all Ni 3+ ions, poor cyclability, moisture sensitivity, a thermal runaway reaction, and formation of a harmful surface layer caused by side reactions with the

The zinc-ion battery (ZIB) is a 2 century-old technology but has recently attracted renewed interest owing to the possibility of switching from primary to rechargeable ZIBs. Nowadays, ZIBs employing a mild aqueous electrolyte are considered one of the most promising candidates for emerging energy storage systems (ESS) and portable electronics applications due to their environmental friendliness, safety, low cost, and acceptable energy density. However, there are many drawbacks associated with th

Nonstoichiometric LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4-δ and stoichiometric LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4 cathodes with two different structures (Fd3̄m and P4332) were synthesized by a molten salt method. Rietveld refinement of the X-ray diffraction (XRD) data and a selected-area electron diffraction (SAED) study confirmed that the face-centered spinel (Fd3̄m) transformed to the primitive simple cubic (P4332) upon additional heating at 700 °C. The LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4-δ cathode having the space group of Fd3̄m showed better electrochemica

Surface coating of cathode materials has been widely investigated to enhance the life and rate capability of lithium-ion batteries. The surface coating discussed here was divided into three different configurations which are rough coating, core shell structure coating and ultra thin film coating. The mechanism of surface coating in achieving improved cathode performance and strategies to carry out this surface modification is discussed. An outlook on atomic layer deposition for lithium ion batte

Abstract The topic of sustainable and eco‐friendly energy storage technologies is an issue of global significance. To date, this heavy burden is solely addressed by lithium‐ion battery technology. However, the ongoing depletion of limited global lithium resources has restricted their future availability for Li‐ion battery technology, and hence, a significant price increase is expected. This grim situation is the driving force for the development of the “beyond Li‐ion battery” strategy involving

The high demand for clean and renewable energy has fueled the exploration of advanced energy storage systems. As a potential alternative device for lithium ion batteries, sodium ion batteries (NIBs) have attracted extraordinary attention and are becoming a promising candidate for energy storage due to their low cost and high efficiency. Recent progress has demonstrated that metal sulfides (MSs) are very promising electrode candidates for efficient Na‐storage devices, because of their excellent r

Abstract Lithium‐ion batteries have been long considered a promising energy storage technology for electrification of the transportation system. However, the poor safety characteristics of lithium‐ion batteries is one of several technological barriers that hinder their deployment for automobile applications. Within the field of battery research and development, titanium‐based anode materials have recently attracted widespread attention due to their significantly better thermal stability than the

The high capacity of Ni-rich Li[Ni(1-x)M(x)]O(2) (M = Co, Mn) is very attractive, if the structural instability and thermal properties are improved. Li[Ni(0.5)Mn(0.5)]O(2) has good thermal and structural stabilities, but it has a low capacity and rate capability relative to the Ni-rich Li[Ni(1-x)M(x)]O(2). We synthesized a spherical core-shell structure with a high capacity (from the Li[Ni(0.8)Co(0.1)Mn(0.1)]O(2) core) and a good thermal stability (from the Li[Ni(0.5)Mn(0.5)]O(2) shell). This re

This Perspective discusses the prospective strategies for overcoming the stability and capacity trade-off associated with increased Ni content in layered Ni-rich Li[NixCoyMnz]O2 (NCM) and Li[NixCoyAlz]O2 (NCA) cathodes. The Ni-rich NCM and NCA cathodes have largely replaced the LiCoO2 cathodes in commercial batteries because of their lower cost, higher energy density, good rate capability, and reliability that has been extensively field-tested. Nevertheless, they suffer from microcrack generatio