Self-Reinforcing Structural-Interfacial Evolution in LiCuFe₂(VO₄)₃ Anodes Enables Durable, High-Capacity Lithium...

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Electrochemistry
• Energy Storage

Background:

• Designing high-capacity, durable anodes for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) is crucial but hindered by structural degradation and slow interfacial kinetics.
• Current anode materials struggle to meet the demands of advanced energy storage applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To engineer a novel polycationic vanadate compound, LiCuFe2(VO4)3, for improved LIB anode performance.
• To investigate the coupled mechanisms of electrochemical lattice reorganization and self-adaptive interface modulation for enhanced cycling stability and capacity.

Main Methods:

• Synthesis and electrochemical testing of LiCuFe2(VO4)3 as a LIB anode.
• Advanced characterization using synchrotron radiation X-ray diffraction.
• First-principles calculations to elucidate cycling mechanisms.

Main Results:

• Exceptional cycling performance: 1178 mAh g⁻¹ after 1000 cycles at 0.5 A g⁻¹ with capacity elevation.
• Electrochemical cycling induces Cu nanoparticle precipitation for charge percolation.
• Fe3O4 formation catalyzes electrolyte translation, creating a protective polymer gel-like film.

Conclusions:

• LiCuFe2(VO4)3 exhibits a dual-regulation framework alleviating mechanical stress and enabling high-rate, surface-dominated storage.
• The material demonstrates an electrochemically induced optimization paradigm for LIB anodes.
• LiCuFe2(VO4)3 serves as a prototype for next-generation high-performance LIB anode materials.