Project presentation
In OPHELIA, the focus is on HEOs as emerging chemistry for cathode material for SIBs, and in particular the optimization of processes and active phases for the developing of sustainable cathodes with suitable cyclability.
Specifically, we plan to study and optimize oxide materials formed by Na-ion layers intercalated between MO2-type HEO sheets. Their lattice is built up by sheets of edge-sharing MO6 octahedra between which alkali ions are inserted and coordinated by oxygen atoms with trigonal prismatic or octahedral geometry (P or O according to Delmas’ notation). However, during battery operation electrodes undergo structural changes whose atomic, nano- and meso-structural evolution is not yet adequately characterized. OPHELIA has the ambition of providing a fundamental and comprehensive understanding of these microscopic variations and of relating them to the macroscopic cathode electrochemical performances.
The project is organized in four work packages:
WP1) Synthesis and characterization of sodiated HEO;
WP2) Cathode preparation, electrochemical testing and modeling;
WP3) Operando investigation;
WP4) Management, dissemination & exploitation.
The proponents are based at universities belonging to the Italian National Reference Centre for Electrochemical Energy Storage Systems (GISEL) of the National Interuniversity Consortium of Materials Science and Technology (INSTM). All of them have a strong track record in either operando methods in electrochemistry or synthesis and characterization, and also a proved track record in attracting, training and supervising young researchers.