Ultra-Fast and Economical Pre-Breakdown Electrochemical Synthesis of Intrinsically Conductive Polymer Suspension for Production of Safe Lithium-Ion Batteries

Abstract

We report a novel pre-breakdown electrochemical synthesis method for producing polyNiMeOSalen suspensions with exceptional scalability and economic viability. Operating at ultra-high current density (1 A cm⁻²), this method achieves 83% yield and produces nanoscale particles (~30 nm) with superior electrochemical performance. The resulting P-polyNiMeOSalen demonstrates 1.7 times higher rate capability than conventional electrochemically synthesized materials, attributed to increased surface area and enhanced non-Faradaic contributions. Techno-economic analysis reveals remarkable commercial potential with production costs of circa $1500/kg (significantly lower than competing materials), rapid payback period (1.17 years), and high internal rate of return (49.5%). Despite the presence of impurities, P-polyNiMeOSalen, when employed as a protective layer in composite cathodes with NMC532, demonstrates negligible impact on the Coulombic efficiency of NMC532, achieving 99.3% by the fifth cycle. Furthermore, P-polyNiMeOSalen exhibits comparable protective properties to E-polyNiMeOSalen upon overcharge of NMC532 to 8 V. This scalable synthesis represents a paradigm shift toward the economically viable production of protective coatings for next-generation lithium-ion battery safety systems.

Keywords

electrode protective coatings / intrinsically conductive polymer / lithium-ion battery safety / overcharge protection / pre-breakdown electrochemical synthesis

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