Doron Aurbach

Bar Ilan University | BIU · Department of Chemistry

Lithiated oxides like Li[NixCoyMnz]O2 (x+y+z=1) with high nickel content (x≥0.8) can possess high specific capacity ≥ 200 mAhg-1 and have attracted extensive attention as perspective cathode materials for advanced lithium-ion batteries. In this work, we synthesized LiNi0.9Co0.1O2 (NC90) materials and studied their structural characteristics, electr...

The work reported herein discusses the improved electrochemical and thermal behavior of LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4 (LNMO) spinel cathodes via surface engineering using a series of zeolites. The limiting issues of these high voltage electrodes are phase transition during Li-ions intercalation/de-intercalation processes, weakening the active material's structure...

The discovery of the Ti3C2Tx compounds (MXenes) a decade ago opened new research directions and valuable opportunities for high‐rate energy storage applications. The unique ability of the MXenes to host various mono‐ and multivalent cations and their high stability in different electrolyte environments including aqueous, organic, and ionic liquid s...

Binder-free carbon cloth (CC) cathodes with tunable porosity prepared from Kynol 1500 by CO2 activation at 900 °C with the specific surface area up to 3170 m²g⁻¹ and pore volume up to 2.05 cc g⁻¹ have been tested in Li–S battery prototypes with catholyte solutions containing Li2S8. The capacity of CCs normalized to carbon mass is linearly proportio...

One of the biggest hurdles to realise high-performance Li-metal batteries is the instability of Li metal towards all relevant electrolytes. Now, an approach is reported to improve Li cells’ stability by upshifting the Li electrodes’ potential to reduce their voltage gap with the electrolyte electrochemical stability windows.

The transference number for cations, t+, is one of the most important parameters for characterizing polymeric and/or composite solid electrolytes. It expresses the contribution of the positive charge carriers to the total conductivity, which in turn reflects the degree of polarization due to the negative carriers in the electrolyte systems. Four el...

Li-rich Mn-based layered oxide cathodes with a high discharge capacity hold great promise for high energy density lithium-ion batteries. However, application is hampered by voltage and capacity decay and gas evolution during cycling due to interfacial side reactions. Here, we report coating by oxygen-deficient perovskite La0.9Sr0.1CoO3 using the Pe...

Among extensively studied Li‐ion cathode materials, LiCoO2 (LCO) remains dominant for portable electronic applications. Although its theoretical capacity (274 mAh g⁻¹) cannot be achieved in Li cells, high capacity (≤240 mAh g⁻¹) can be obtained by raising the charging voltage up to 4.6 V. Unfortunately, charging Li‐LCO cells to high potentials indu...

The optimal performance of organic electrodes for aqueous batteries requires their full compatibility with selected electrolyte solutions. Electrode materials having 1-3-dimensional structures of variable rigidity possess a confined space in their structure filled with water and electrolyte solutions. Depending on the rigidity and confined space ge...

Large grid energy storage devices are critical for the success of the clean and sustainable energy revolution. As Li-ion batteries are earmarked for electric vehicles and portable devices such as laptops and cellphones, other electrochemical systems should be developed that enable cost-effective, safe, and durable large-scale energy storage. Due to...

Here, three types of surface coatings based on adsorption of organic aromatic acids or their Li salts are applied as functional coating substrates to engineer the surface properties of high voltage LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4 (LNMO) spinel cathodes. The materials used as coating include 1,3,5‐benzene‐tricarboxylic acid (trimesic acid [TMA]), its Li‐salt, and 1,...

Anionic redox provides an effective way to overcome the capacity bottleneck of sodium‐ion batteries. A dominant role is played by the arrangement of alkali A and transition metal M in the NaxAyM1‐yO2 superstructure. Here, in situ X‐ray diffraction and ex situ 7Li nuclear magnetic resonance of P2 type Na0.6Li0.2Mn0.8O2 with ribbon‐ordered superstruc...

The growth of ultrathin 1D inorganic nanomaterials with controlled diameters remains challenging by current synthetic approaches. A polymer chain templated method is developed to synthesize ultrathin Bi2O2CO3 nanotubes. This formation of nanotubes is a consequence of registry between the electrostatic absorption of functional groups on polymer temp...

Ni-rich LiNi1–x–yCoxMnyO2 (1 – x – y > 0.5) (NCMs) cathode materials have shown great promise in energy-intensive applications, such as electric vehicles. However, as many layered cathodes do, they suffer from structural and electrochemical degradation during cycling. In this study, we show that Nd- and Y-doped materials, Li(Ni0.85Co0.1Mn0.05)0.995...

The need for high power density cathodes for Li‐ion batteries can be fulfilled by application of a high charging voltage above 4.5 V. As lithium cobalt oxide (LCO) remains a dominant commercial cathode material, tremendous efforts are invested to increase its charging potential toward 4.6 V. Yet, the long‐term performance of high voltage LCO cathod...

The important phenomenon of electrical double layer (EDL) is often described by mathematical relations between surface charges, variation of electrostatic potentials with distance and distribution of ions across the interface between charged surfaces (or particles) and electrolyte solutions. A major advance was made in the last decade in understand...

Solid-state batteries have received renewed attention in recent years. The present study compares all-solid-state sodium batteries containing polyethylene oxide (PEO) polymer electrolyte (PE) with two salts, NaPF6 and NaClO4. Electrochemical properties were determined by means of both AC and DC measurements. Battery prototypes with PEO:NaClO4 have...

High-energy cathode materials that are Li- and Mn-rich lithiated oxides—for instance, 0.35Li2MnO3.0.65LiNi0.35Mn0.45Co0.20O2 (HE-NCM)—are promising for advanced lithium-ion batteries. However, HE-NCM cathodes suffer from severe degradation during cycling, causing gradual capacity loss, voltage fading, and low-rate capability performance. In this wo...

A novel type of Li/graphene oxide (Li/GO) battery based on a spontaneous redox reaction between Li metal and GO cathode is introduced as an alternative viable primary battery system. Here, we present an efficient synthesis of GO by the modified Hummers method and focus on a comprehensive study of the reduction mechanism. The Li/GO battery was thoro...

High electrolyte-electrode interface stability is essential for solid state batteries to avoid side reactions that form interphases and voids, leading to loss of contact and increased impedance. Such detrimental situations increase overvoltage, reduce cycling efficiency, and shorten battery cycle life. While composite solid electrolytes were studie...

We report on stabilization of Li-S cells with different types of composite sulfur cathodes using ethereal LiTFSI/LiNO3/DOL/DME electrolyte solutions containing a-priori 0.1M Li2S8. These electrolyte solutions enable an improved cycling behavior for Li-S cells compared to Li2S8-free electrolyte solutions, thanks to the presence of LiSx species from...

Desalination is a critical process to resolve the crisis of insufficient freshwater resources. Among desalination technologies, electrochemical electrode deionization (EEDI) has attracted wide attention because of the advantages in low cost, no secondary pollution, and low energy consumption etc. Electrode materials are the critical factors for det...

Extensive efforts are currently underway to develop safe and cost-effective electrolytes for large-scale energy storage. In this regard, water-based electrolytes may be an attractive option, but their narrow electrochemical stability window hinders their realization. Although highly concentrated fluorinated electrolytes have been shown to be highly...

Herein, a systematic surface modification approach via double gas (SO2 and NH3) treatment at elevated temperatures is described, aimed to achieve a stable electrochemical performance of Li and Mn-rich NCM cathode materials of a typical composition 0.33Li2MnO3•0.67LiNi0.4Co0.2Mn0.4O2 (HE-NCM). Partial surface reduction of Mn4+ and the formation of a...

One of the greatest challenges toward rechargeable magnesium batteries is the development of noncorrosive electrolyte solutions with high anodic stability that can support reversible Mg deposition/dissolution. In the last few years, magnesium electrolyte solutions based on Cl-free fluorinated alkoxyborates were investigated for Mg batteries due to...

Solid electrolytes based on polyethylene oxide (PEO) have been studied for decades, owing to their facile and low-cost processing, good electrochemical stability, and excellent complexation with alkali metal salts. Complexes of PEO with appropriate sodium salts are well known for ionic conduction. Here, pristine NaPF 6 :P(EO) 16 and a composite sol...

The Cover Feature shows the electrochemical performance of 25 μm AZ31 alloy as anode, in a full magnesium cell with Chevrel phase as cathode, in 0.25 m APC as electrolyte. The use of low concentration of foreign elements in magnesium AZ31 alloy (Al 3%, Zn 1%), increases the mechanical strength and ductility along with resistance to corrosion and we...

This work is part of ongoing and systematic investigations by our groups on the synthesis, electrochemical behavior, structural investigations, and computational modeling of the Ni-rich materials Li[NixCoyMnz]O2 (x+y+z=1; x≥0.8) for advanced lithium-ion batteries. This study focuses on the LiNi0.85Co0.10Mn0.05O2 (NCM85) material and its improvement...

In recent decades rechargeable Mg batteries (RMB) technologies have attracted much attention because the use of thin Mg foils anodes may enable to develop high energy density batteries. One of the most critical challenges for devolving RMB is finding suitable electrolyte solutions that enable efficient and reversible Mg cells operation. Most RMB st...

Lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries promise high energy density for next-generation energy storage systems, yet many challenges remain. Li-S batteries follow a conversion chemistry, which radically differs from intercalation-based lithium-ion batteries. Recently, it has become clear that the chemistry of electrolyte solutions and their ability to stabi...

Fast charging is considered to be a key requirement for widespread economic success of electric vehicles. Current lithium‐ion batteries (LIBs) offer high energy density enabling sufficient driving range, but take considerably longer to recharge than traditional vehicles. Multiple properties of the applied anode, cathode, and electrolyte materials i...

Rechargeable batteries based on Mg metal anodes maybe a promising alternative to current Li‐ion battery systems. However, the development of practical rechargeable Mg batteries (RMBs) is hindered by the absence of cathode materials that can reversibly intercalate Mg ions with a reasonably fast kinetic, while still exhibiting high capacity and high...

Employing organic redox mediators (ORMs) as mobile catalyst into the electrolyte system has been selected as an important strategy to lower the charging overpotentials in lithium-oxygen (Li-O 2 ) batteries. Careful choice of molecular designs of ORMs can also tailor their redox potential and rate of electron-transfer to improve the catalytic effici...

Most of TM6-cluster compounds (TM = transition metal) are soluble in polar solvents, in which the cluster units commonly remain intact, preserving the same atomic arrangement as in solids. Consequently, the redox potential is often used to characterize structural and electronic features of respective solids. Although a high lability and variety of...

Among the cathode materials for advanced Li-ion batteries, nickel-rich Ni-Co-Mn (NCM) LiNixCoyMnyO2 (x > 0.5, x + 2y = 1) attracts great interest as promising materials owing to their high capacity, low cost, good cycling stability, safety and the fact that their stable capacity can be extracted by charging up to 4.3 V vs. Li. In this work, the eff...

The specific capacity of activated carbon electrodes for supercapacitors may be enhanced with additional faradaic redox reactions by grafting of electroactive aromatic molecules with heteroatoms that act as redox centers. Such enrichment was demonstrated recently with anthraquinone and catechol using diazonium chemistry. Here, trihydroxybenzene, wh...

Wastewater reclamation is becoming a top global interest as population growth and rapid industrialization pose a major challenge that requires development of sustainable cost-effective technologies and strategies for wastewater treatment. Carbon nanomembranes (CNMs)-synthetic 2D carbon sheets-can be tailored chemically with specific surface functio...

In this work, we continued our systematic investigations on synthesis, structural studies, and electrochemical behavior of Ni-rich materials Li[NixCoyMnz]O2 (x + y + z = 1; x ≥ 0.8) for advanced lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). We focused, herein, on LiNi0.85Co0.10Mn0.05O2 (NCM85) and demonstrated that doping this material with high-charge cation Mo6+...

The purpose of this paper is to suggest frontier inter‐disciplinary research directions that can be considered as important horizons of modern electrochemistry in the field of energy storage and conversion. We selected several topics that call for advancements in solid‐state, interfacial, analytical and energy‐related electrochemical science. A dra...

Atomic deposition of a thin layer of alumina on amorphous carbon materials was recently established to improve their electrochemical properties as anodes in sodium-ion batteries. It is shown that the highest performance for these materials can be achieved by pre-sodiation of the electrode before coating it. The basis for the enhanced performance is...

The need for improved batteries and supercapacitors, which are not based on lithium compounds, promotes significant research efforts to find suitable alternative systems based on various mono and multivalent cations capable of delivering high energy and power density with good long-term stability. The progress in aqueous Zn-ion batteries and superc...

The active role of alumina, pentalithium aluminate (Li5AlO4, Li‐aluminate), and pentasodium aluminate (Na5AlO4, Na‐aluminate) as the surface protection coatings produced via atomic layer deposition on Li and Mn‐rich NCM cathode materials 0.33Li2MnO3·0.67LiNi0.4Co0.2Mn0.4O2 is discussed. A notable improvement in the electrochemical behavior of the c...

In continuation of the work on the stabilization of the electrochemical performance of Li and Mn-rich LixNiyCozMnwO2 (HE-NCM, x>1, w>0.5, x+y+z+w=2) cathode materials via atomic layer deposition (ALD) surface coatings, herein, the active role of aluminum oxides-based coatings, during prolonged cycling in battery prototypes with graphite anodes, is...

Hampered by the absence of evidence and theoretical model of biological semiconductors, the unidirectional electron transport via the p-n junction between functional proteins and abiotic materials remains a challenge for bioelectronics. Bacteriorhodopsin (bR), a representative transmembrane protein, has demonstrated exceptional optoelectronic effec...

The interfacial electrochemical characteristics of unpassivated Mg metal electrodes have been studied using Staircase Galvano Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (SGEIS) in THF/C6H5MgCl/AlCl3 solutions over a wide range of applied dc currents. The results shed light on the mechanism of electrochemical deposition and dissolution of Mg. We found t...

Aqueous salt batteries with high concentrations of salt or water in salt aqueous systems have received considerable attention with focus on improving working voltage range and energy density. Here, the effect of NaClO 4 salt concentration on the electrochemical performance and stability of tunnel-type Na 0.44 MnO 2 (NMO) cathodes and organic polyim...

The application of layered oxide compounds as cathode materials for sodium-ion batteries is considered a promising direction for the development of high-energy Na-ion batteries. However, despite many efforts, practical implementation of such electrodes is still challenging, mainly due to structural and surface instabilities associated with the high...

Tunnel‐type sodium manganese oxide is attracting attention as a cheap and earth‐abundant cathode material for sodium‐ion batteries, offering more stable cycling performance than other layered materials due to its special structural ordering. Developments and applications in aqueous and nonaqueous electrolyte solutions are reviewed, and problems and...

About 70 years ago, in the framework of his theory of chemical bonding, Pauling proposed an empirical correlation between the bond valences (or effective bond orders (BOs)) and the bond lengths. Till now, this simple correlation, basic in the bond valence model (BVM), is widely used in crystal chemistry, but it was considered irrelevant for metal–m...

Although liquid mercury (Hg) has been known since antiquity, the formation of stable solid nano forms of Hg at room temperature has not been reported so far. Here, for the first time, we report on a simple sonochemical route to obtain solid mercury nanoparticles, stabilized by reduced graphene oxide at ambient conditions. The as-formed solid Hg nan...

The mild fluorination of Ni‐rich NCM CAMs with a few hundred mbar of F2 gas at room temperature was systematically studied. The resulting fluorinated CAMs were fully analyzed and compared to the pristine ones. Fluorination at room temperature converts part of the soluble basic species on the CAM‐surface into a protecting thin and amorphous LiF film...

The anodic stability of conductive carbon and alkyl carbonate-based electrolyte solvents is a crucial requirement for the success of high-voltage lithium-ion cells, particularly at elevated temperatures. In order to quantify the oxidative stability of ethylene carbonate (EC), a critical component of lithium-ion battery electrolytes, and conductive...

We report on stabilization of Li–S cells cycled with an areal charge/discharge capacity of 2 mAh cm⁻² at current densities of 1–2 mA cm⁻² using ethereal LiTFSI/LiNO3/DOL/DME electrolyte solution containing 0.1M Li2S8. This electrolyte solution enables stable lithium metal stripping−plating both in symmetric Li∣Li and full Li–S cells with composite...

Various types of sodium manganese oxides are promising cathode materials for sodium storage systems. One of the most considerable advantages of this family of materials is their widespread natural abundance. So far, only a few host candidates have been reported and there is a need to develop new materials with improved practical electrochemical per...

Capacitive deionization (CDI) has emerged as a novel desalination technology due to its cleanliness and low energy consumption. Despite being based on the principle of an electric double layer for ion adsorption on porous carbon materials, the inevitable faradaic reaction and the existence of co-ion repulsion reduce the charge efficiency (CE), lead...

Capacitive deionization (CDI) is an alternative water desalination technology, which was investigated extensively in the last decade. The choice of electrodes' materials plays a major role in the electrosorption performance, affecting the whole desalination process. Graphene-based nanostructures in various types were extensively studied owing to th...