Prelithiation Bridges the Gap for Developing Next-Generation Lithium-Ion Batteries/Capacitors.

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Electrochemistry
• Energy Storage

Background:

• Growing demand for high-energy-density lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) in portable electronics and electric vehicles.
• Limitations of conventional graphite anodes, driving research into high-capacity alloy- and conversion-type anodes.
• Significant initial capacity loss in advanced anodes due to solid electrolyte interface formation and parasitic reactions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review emerging prelithiation techniques for anodes and cathodes in LIBs.
• To identify key barriers and strategies for scalable, manufacturing-compatible prelithiation.
• To explore the role of prelithiation in enabling beyond LIBs and high power-density Li-ion capacitors (LICs).

Main Methods:

• Comprehensive literature review of prelithiation strategies for LIB anodes and cathodes.
• Analysis of manufacturing challenges and scalability of different prelithiation approaches.
• Examination of prelithiation's impact on next-generation battery chemistries and Li-ion capacitors.

Main Results:

• Prelithiation effectively compensates for initial capacity loss in advanced LIB anodes.
• Various prelithiation techniques show promise for improving full-cell cycling performance.
• Scalable and manufacturing-compatible prelithiation methods are essential for commercialization.

Conclusions:

• Prelithiation is indispensable for realizing the full potential of advanced LIBs and bridging the gap to practical applications.
• This technique is critical for the development of beyond LIBs (e.g., Li-ion/S, Li-ion/O2) and high power-density LICs.
• Future research should focus on optimizing prelithiation for commercial viability and enhanced energy storage solutions.