Considerations for Nanomaterials in Lithium Rechargeable Batteries | by W. F. Howard, Ph.D. | January 2005 | A B T | 7MS.com

Considerations for Nanomaterials in Lithium Rechargeable Batteries $8.6 billion: that’s the estimated worldwide nanotechnology research funding for 2004 (Lux Research report, 16 August 2004). Here in the U.S., the 21st Century Nanotech Research Act will pump $3.7 billion into the field over the next four years. In 2005, private support is projected to exceed government-sponsored efforts for the first time. But nanotechnology is not an industry unto itself; rather, it has applications across many sectors, and has become THE buzzword for active inorganic materials. Potential applications for nanomaterials are legion. This is especially true in lithium rechargeable batteries (LiRB), and teams of scientists and engineers are leaping at the opportunities therein. Nanometric particles allow the circumvention of certain limitations common to micron-sized powders (improved rate capability is most frequently cited), but as with any novel technology, new hurdles must be overcome, both in powder and electrode production. This paper focuses on nanoparticulate electrode materials, discusses the challenges facing this fledgling industry, and suggests promising LiRB applications for such materials. What makes nanopowders behave differently from conventionally-sized particles (0.1-100µm) with an identical chemical formula? (I define nano- as referring to atomic clusters or molecules with a maximum dimension of 25nm.) It is well known that the properties of bulk catalysts are distinct from those of dispersed atomic or molecular