High Volumetric Energy and Power Density Li₂TiSiO₅ Battery Anodes via Graphene Functionalization

As electric vehicles increase in size and range, volumetric energy density and high rate capability have emerged as critical Li-ion battery performance metrics. While graphite has been the leader for Li-ion battery anodes for the past two decades, this material has severe limitations at high rates due to overpotentials that result in Li dendrite growth and significant safety issues. As an alternative to graphite, Li₂TiSiO₅ (LTSO) nanoparticles possess intrinsically high gravimetric energy densities and high rate capability with minimal risk for Li dendrite growth. However, pristine LTSO nanoparticles possess poor electrical conductivity and electrode packing density, which have prevented their full potential from being realized in Li-ion batteries. Here, LTSO nanoparticles are conformally coated with graphene using a scalable cellulose-based solution process, which enables low overpotential and dense electrode packing, resulting in exceptional volumetric energy densities at high rates.