Engineers Uncover Major Obstacle to Enhancing Lithium Nickel Oxide Battery Longevity

Engineers Discover Key Barrier To Longer-Lasting Batteries
By Kim Horner | Feb. 12, 2025

Materials science and engineering doctoral student Matthew Bergschneider and his fellow researchers have identified the reasons behind the degradation of lithium nickel oxide batteries. They are currently testing a solution that could eliminate a significant hurdle to the widespread adoption of this material.

Lithium nickel oxide (LiNiO2) has emerged as a promising candidate for powering next-generation lithium-ion batteries with a longer lifespan. However, the commercialization of this material has faced challenges due to its tendency to degrade after repeated charging cycles. Researchers at the University of Texas at Dallas have made headway in understanding the breakdown of LiNiO2 batteries, with their findings published online on December 10 in the journal Advanced Energy Materials. The team aims to first manufacture LiNiO2 batteries in the laboratory, eventually collaborating with industry partners to bring this technology to market.

“The degradation of batteries made using LiNiO2 has plagued the industry for decades, but the underlying causes were not well understood,” stated Dr. Kyeongjae Cho, professor of materials science and engineering at the Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science and director of the Batteries and Energy to Advance Commercialization and National Security (BEACONS) program. “Now that we have a clearer understanding of the reasons behind this degradation, we are working on solutions to enable the technology to offer longer battery life for various applications, including smartphones and electric vehicles.”

To investigate the breakdown of LiNiO2 batteries during the final charging phase, the researchers utilized computational modeling to analyze the process. Their study focused on the chemical reactions and the movement of electrons within the material at the atomic level. In lithium-ion batteries, electrical current flows from the cathode, the positive electrode, to the anode, the negative electrode, which is typically composed of carbon graphite that retains lithium at a higher potential. During discharge, lithium ions travel back to the cathode through the electrolyte, facilitating an electrochemical reaction that produces electricity. Cathodes are usually made from a mix of materials, including cobalt—a scarce resource that researchers are eager to replace with alternatives like lithium nickel oxide.

The UTD researchers discovered that a chemical reaction involving oxygen atoms in LiNiO2 leads to instability and cracking of the material. To address this issue, they proposed a theoretical solution that involves adding a positively charged ion, or cation, to modify the material’s properties and create “pillars” that enhance the strength of the cathode.

Matthew Bergschneider, the study’s lead author and a doctoral student in materials science and engineering, has been establishing a robotics-based lab to produce battery prototypes and investigate high-throughput synthesis processes for the newly designed pillared LiNiO2 cathodes. The robotic features will aid in the synthesis, evaluation, and characterization of these materials.

“We plan to begin with a small batch and refine the process,” explained Bergschneider, a Eugene McDermott Graduate Fellow. “After that, we will scale up the material synthesis and aim to manufacture hundreds of batteries each week at the BEACONS facility. Each step brings us closer to commercialization.”

Other researchers involved in this study include Fantai Kong (PhD’17), Patrick Conlin (PhD’22), Dr. Taesoon Hwang, a research scientist in materials science and engineering, and Dr. Seok-Gwang Doo from the Korea Institute of Energy Technology.

For media inquiries, contact Kim Horner at UT Dallas, 972-883-4463, or via email at kim.horner@utdallas.edu, or reach out to the Office of Media Relations at UT Dallas, (972) 883-2155, or newscenter@utdallas.edu.