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Microdroplet Templating of Uniform Nanostructured Battery Microparticles with Scalable Membrane Emulsification
Kate A Sanders1, Ryo Mizuta1, Hwee Jien Tan1
1Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge, 17 Charles Babbage Road, Cambridge CB3 0FS, U.K.
ACS Nano
|February 25, 2026
Summary
Controlled emulsification creates uniform battery microparticles from nanoparticles, enhancing lithium-ion battery performance. This scalable method improves energy density and charge transport for advanced energy storage applications.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Electrochemistry
- Chemical Engineering
Background:
- Controlled nano- to microscale structures are crucial for improving lithium-ion battery performance.
- Existing methods for assembling microscale particles from nanoparticles lack uniformity and scalability.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a controlled emulsification method for fabricating uniform battery microparticles.
- To address challenges in emulsion stability, drying, and scale-up for battery materials.
Main Methods:
- Utilized controlled emulsification to create uniform microparticles from droplet templates.
- Demonstrated the method using commercial lithium titanate (LTO) nanopowder.
- Investigated emulsion stability, drying, and scale-up for industrial viability.
Main Results:
- Successfully fabricated spherical LTO secondary particles with controlled diameters and narrow size distributions.
- Achieved double the tap density compared to the nanopowder precursor.
- Demonstrated improved electrochemical performance, especially at high rates, exceeding unstructured nanoparticles and commercial spray-dried particles.
- Fabricated LTO/CNT composite microparticles with over 50% higher volumetric energy density.
Conclusions:
- Controlled emulsification is a viable and scalable method for producing high-performance battery microparticles.
- The developed technique offers compositional flexibility and compatibility with industrial production methods.
- This approach significantly enhances volumetric energy density and electrochemical performance in lithium-ion batteries.
Keywords:
EmulsionsEnergy storageHierarchical materialsLithium-ion batteriesMembrane emulsificationsMicroparticlesNanomaterialsMore Related Videos
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