Promoting the electrochemical properties of yolk-shell-structured CeO₂ composites for lithium-ion batteries

Abstract

Lithium-ion batteries offer significant convenience to modern portable technology and our daily lives due to their high energy density and cycling capabilities. Cerium oxides are attracting significant attention as Li-ion battery anode materials due to their nontoxicity and fast redox kinetics. However, these anodes face critical issues, such as poor electronic conductivity and serve volume expansion upon Li-ion intercalation. Herein, yolk-shell-structured CeO₂ encapsulated in mesoporous carbon nanospheres (CeO₂@void@C) is proposed with an adjustable void between the CeO₂ core and the outer carbon layer. A significantly enhanced capacity and rate performance are obtained for the target CeO₂@void@C when compared with the untreated CeO₂ anode. The reversible capacity of CeO₂@void@C is double that of the untreated CeO₂ anode. Additionally, the yolk-shell-structured CeO₂ shows a slow capacity decay and maintains a capacity of 210 mAh·g^-1 at a current density of 1000 mA·g^-1 with a ~100% Coulombic efficiency even after 1000 cycles. This improvement originates from the conductivity of the coating carbon layer and the void that constrains the volume change upon electrochemical lithiation/delithiation.

Keywords

Li-ion batteries / microstructures / volume constraints / yolk-shell structures / anode materials / CeO₂ composites

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