A detailed processing cost breakdown is given for lithium-ion battery (LIB) electrodes, which focuses on: 1) elimination of toxic, costly N-methylpyrrolidone (NMP) dispersion chemistry; 2) doubling ...the thicknesses of the anode and cathode to raise energy density; and 3) reduction of the anode electrolyte wetting and SEI-layer formation time. These processing cost reduction technologies generically adaptable to any anode or cathode cell chemistry and are being implemented at ORNL. This paper shows step by step how these cost savings can be realized in existing or new LIB manufacturing plants using a baseline case of thin (power) electrodes produced with NMP processing and a standard 10–14-day wetting and formation process. In particular, it is shown that aqueous electrode processing can cut the electrode processing cost and energy consumption by an order of magnitude. Doubling the thickness of the electrodes allows for using half of the inactive current collectors and separators, contributing even further to the processing cost savings. Finally wetting and SEI-layer formation cost savings are discussed in the context of a protocol with significantly reduced time. These three benefits collectively offer the possibility of reducing LIB pack cost from $502.8 kW h−1-usable to $370.3 kW h−1-usable, a savings of $132.5/kWh (or 26.4%).
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•A comprehensive cost study on lithium-ion electrode processing is reported.•Advanced electrode processing can save up to $111/kWh-usable.•Reduced SEI-layer formation time can save an additional $22/kWh-usable.•These processing technologies are amenable to any anode or cathode chemistry.•Capital cost savings realized and cell processing bottlenecks addressed.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK
The microbiota is vital for the development of the immune system and homeostasis. Changes in microbial composition and function, termed dysbiosis, in the respiratory tract and the gut have recently ...been linked to alterations in immune responses and to disease development in the lungs. In this Opinion article, we review the microbial species that are usually found in healthy gastrointestinal and respiratory tracts, their dysbiosis in disease and interactions with the gut-lung axis. Although the gut-lung axis is only beginning to be understood, emerging evidence indicates that there is potential for manipulation of the gut microbiota in the treatment of lung diseases.
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IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
Infectious diseases affect people, domestic animals and wildlife alike, with many pathogens being able to infect multiple species. Fifty years ago, following the wide-scale manufacture and use of ...antibiotics and vaccines, it seemed that the battle against infections was being won for the human population. Since then, however, and in addition to increasing antimicrobial resistance among bacterial pathogens, there has been an increase in the emergence of, mostly viral, zoonotic diseases from wildlife, sometimes causing fatal outbreaks of epidemic proportions. Concurrently, infectious disease has been identified as an increasing threat to wildlife conservation. A synthesis published in 2000 showed common anthropogenic drivers of disease threats to biodiversity and human health, including encroachment and destruction of wildlife habitat and the human-assisted spread of pathogens. Almost two decades later, the situation has not changed and, despite improved knowledge of the underlying causes, little has been done at the policy level to address these threats. For the sake of public health and wellbeing, human-kind needs to work better to conserve nature and preserve the ecosystem services, including disease regulation, that biodiversity provides while also understanding and mitigating activities which lead to disease emergence. We consider that holistic, One Health approaches to the management and mitigation of the risks of emerging infectious diseases have the greatest chance of success.
This article is part of the themed issue ‘One Health for a changing world: zoonoses, ecosystems and human well-being’.
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BFBNIB, NMLJ, NUK, PNG, SAZU, UL, UM, UPUK
An in-depth historical and current review is presented on the science of lithium-ion battery (LIB) solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) formation on the graphite anode, including structure, morphology, ...composition, electrochemistry, and formation mechanism. During initial LIB operation, the SEI layer forms on the graphite surfaces, the most common anode material. The SEI is essential to the long-term performance of LIBs, and it also has an impact on its initial capacity loss, self-discharge characteristics, rate capability, and safety. While the presence of the anode SEI is vital, it is difficult to control its formation and growth, as they depend on several factors. These factors include the type of graphite, electrolyte composition, electrochemical conditions, and temperature. Thus, SEI formation and electrochemical stability over long-term operation should be a primary topic of future investigation in the LIB development. This article covers the progression of knowledge regarding the SEI, from its discovery in 1979 to the current state of understanding, and covers differences in the chemical and structural makeup when cell materials and components are varied. It also discusses the relationship of the SEI layer to the LIB formation step, involving both electrolyte wetting and subsequent slow charge–discharge cycles to grow the SEI.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZRSKP
It is critical to develop a low-cost and environmentally friendly system to manufacture and recycle lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) as the demand on LIBs keeps increasing dramatically. Conventional LIB ...cathodes are manufactured using N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone as the solvent, which is expensive, highly toxic, flammable, and energy intensive to produce and recover. Ideally, a close-loop industrial supply chain should be built, in which the batteries are manufactured, market harvested, and recycled with minimal external toxic solvent through the whole system. This work demonstrates a green and more sustainable manufacturing method for LIBs where no hazardous organic solvent is used during electrode manufacturing and recycling. The electrodes fabricated via water-based processing demonstrate comparable rate performance and cycle life to the ones from conventional solvent-based processing. Utilization of a water-soluble binder enables recovering the cathode compound from spent electrodes using water, which is successfully regenerated to deliver comparable electrochemical performance to the pristine one.
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•Aqueous processed NCM523 cathodes show performance comparable with the NMP processed one•The spent NCM523 compound was separated from other cathode components in water•The spent NCM523 was successfully relithiated, restored and showed performance comparable with the pristine•This provides a potential path toward green and sustainable battery manufacturing
Electrochemical Energy Storage; Energy Sustainability; Manufacturing
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
Increasing electrode thickness, thus increasing the volume ratio of active materials, is one effective method to enable the development of high energy density Li-ion batteries. In this study, an ...energy density versus power density optimization of LiNi
0.8
Co
0.15
Al
0.05
O
2
(NCA)/graphite cell stack was conducted via mathematical modeling. The energy density was found to have a maximum point versus electrode thickness (critical thickness) at given discharging C rates. The physics-based factors that limit the energy/power density of thick electrodes were found to be increased cell polarization and underutilization of active materials. The latter is affected by Li-ion diffusion in active materials and Li-ion depletion in the electrolyte phase. Based on those findings, possible approaches were derived to surmount the limiting factors. The improvement of the energy–power relationship in an 18,650 cell was used to demonstrate how to optimize the thick electrode parameters in cell engineering.
Graphical Abstract
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DOBA, EMUNI, FIS, FZAB, GEOZS, GIS, IJS, IMTLJ, IZUM, KILJ, KISLJ, MFDPS, NLZOH, NUK, OBVAL, OILJ, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, SBMB, SBNM, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK, VKSCE, ZAGLJ
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is the third commonest cause of death globally, and manifests as a progressive inflammatory lung disease with no curative treatment. The lung microbiome ...contributes to COPD progression, but the function of the gut microbiome remains unclear. Here we examine the faecal microbiome and metabolome of COPD patients and healthy controls, finding 146 bacterial species differing between the two groups. Several species, including Streptococcus sp000187445, Streptococcus vestibularis and multiple members of the family Lachnospiraceae, also correlate with reduced lung function. Untargeted metabolomics identifies a COPD signature comprising 46% lipid, 20% xenobiotic and 20% amino acid related metabolites. Furthermore, we describe a disease-associated network connecting Streptococcus parasanguinis_B with COPD-associated metabolites, including N-acetylglutamate and its analogue N-carbamoylglutamate. While correlative, our results suggest that the faecal microbiome and metabolome of COPD patients are distinct from those of healthy individuals, and may thus aid in the search for biomarkers for COPD.
Enabling fast charging capability of high energy density Li-ion cells could dramatically increase the widespread adoption of battery electric vehicles. However, fast charging is limited by Li ion ...depletion in the electrolyte and increasing Li ion transport from cathode to anode is essential. By evaluating different Li salts in the electrolyte, we find lithium bis(fluorosulfonyl)imide (LFSI) has both higher conductivity and higher Li ion transference number compared to the traditional LiPF6 salt. In a 12-minute charge, the electrolyte with LiPF6 salt reaches the cut-off voltage rapidly while the one with LiFSI exhibits a longer constant current charge with more capacity achieved. The LiFSI electrolyte also shows better cycling performance and less Li plating after repeated fast charging cycles.
•LiFSI has higher conductivity and higher transference number than LiPF6.•LiFSI electrolyte shows 13% capacity improvement under 12-minute fast charging.•The cell using LiFSI shows much less severe Li plating after 500 cycles.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
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