Enhanced charge storage of nanometric ζ-V2O5 in Mg electrolytes

Progress and Challenges of Vanadium Oxide Cathodes for Rechargeable Magnesium Batteries

Among the challenges related to rechargeable magnesium batteries (RMBs) still not resolved are positive electrode materials with sufficient charge storage and rate capability as well as stability and raw material resources. Out of the materials proposed and studied so far, vanadium oxides stand out for these requirements, but significant further improvements are expected and required. They will be based on new materials and an improved understanding of their mode of operation. This report provides a critical review focused on this material, which is embedded in a brief overview on the general subject. It starts with the main strategic ways to design layered vanadium oxides cathodes for RMBs. Taking these examples in more detail, the typical issues and challenges often missed in broader overviews and reviews are discussed. In particular, issues related to the electrochemistry of intercalation processes in layered vanadium oxides; advantageous strategies for the development of vanadium oxide composite cathodes; their mechanism in aqueous, "wet", and dry non-aqueous aprotic systems; and the possibility of co-intercalation processes involving protons and magnesium ions are considered. The perspectives for future development of vanadium oxide-based cathode materials are finally discussed and summarized.

β-V2O5 as Magnesium Intercalation Cathode

Magnesium batteries have attracted great attention as an alternative to Li-ion batteries but still suffer from limited choice of positive electrode materials. V₂O₅ exhibits high theoretical capacities, but previous studies have been mostly limited to α-V₂O₅. Herein, we report on the β-V₂O₅ polymorph as a Mg intercalation electrode. The structural changes associated with the Mg²⁺ (de-) intercalation were analyzed by a combination of several characterization techniques: in situ high resolution X-ray diffraction, scanning transmission electron microscopy, electron energy-loss spectroscopy, and X-ray absorption spectroscopy. The reversible capacity reached 361 mAh g^-1, the highest value found at room temperature for V₂O₅ polymorphs.

Unconventional Charge Transport in MgCr2O4 and Implications for Battery Intercalation Hosts

Ion transport in solid-state cathode materials prescribes a fundamental limit to the rates batteries can operate; therefore, an accurate understanding of ion transport is a critical missing piece to enable new battery technologies, such as magnesium batteries. Based on our conventional understanding of lithium-ion materials, MgCr₂O₄ is a promising magnesium-ion cathode material given its high capacity, high voltage against an Mg anode, and acceptable computed diffusion barriers. Electrochemical examinations of MgCr₂O₄, however, reveal significant energetic limitations. Motivated by these disparate observations; herein, we examine long-range ion transport by electrically polarizing dense pellets of MgCr₂O₄. Our conventional understanding of ion transport in battery cathode materials, e.g., Nernst-Einstein conduction, cannot explain the measured response since it neglects frictional interactions between mobile species and their nonideal free energies. We propose an extended theory that incorporates these interactions and reduces to the Nernst-Einstein conduction under dilute conditions. This theory describes the measured response, and we report the first study of long-range ion transport behavior in MgCr₂O₄. We conclusively show that the Mg chemical diffusivity is comparable to lithium-ion electrode materials, whereas the total conductivity is rate-limiting. Given these differences, energy storage in MgCr₂O₄ is limited by particle-scale voltage drops, unlike lithium-ion particles that are limited by concentration gradients. Future materials design efforts should consider the interspecies interactions described in this extended theory, particularly with respect to multivalent-ion systems and their resultant effects on continuum transport properties.

Bimetallic sulfide NiCo2S4 yolk-shell nanospheres as high-performance cathode materials for rechargeable magnesium batteries

Constructing bimetallic sulfides with ideal structures could effectively alleviate the poor cycling stability of rechargeable Mg batteries due to a bimetallic synergistic effect. An exquisite yolk-shell structured bimetallic sulfide NiCo₂S₄ synthesized via a two-step solvothermal hydrothermal method is investigated as a cathode material for rechargeable Mg batteries. With the bimetallic strategy and well-designed architecture, the as-synthesized yolk-shell NiCo₂S₄ exhibits outstanding Mg-storage performance, demonstrating a superior reversible capacity (270 mA h g^-1 at 50 mA h g^-1), a high rate capability, and a specific capacity retention of 91% over 400 cycles (2.2% capacity decay per cycle). The in-depth mechanism investigation reveals the two-step conversion reaction process and the bimetallic synergistic effect in the Mg-storage process. Based on DFT calculations and kinetic investigations, the bimetallic synergistic effect effectively alleviates the Jahn-Teller effect and distortion in the crystal lattices and increases active reaction sites, thus largely enhancing the electrochemical Mg-storage performance. The superior electrochemical performance of NiCo₂S₄ not only demonstrates the viability of the bimetallic strategy but also sheds light on the use of nanostructure design for high-performance cathode research.

Advancing towards a Practical Magnesium Ion Battery

A post-lithium battery era is envisaged, and it is urgent to find new and sustainable systems for energy storage. Multivalent metals, such as magnesium, are very promising to replace lithium, but the low mobility of magnesium ion and the lack of suitable electrolytes are serious concerns. This review mainly discusses the advantages and shortcomings of the new rechargeable magnesium batteries, the future directions and the possibility of using solid electrolytes. Special emphasis is put on the diversity of structures, and on the theoretical calculations about voltage and structures. A critical issue is to select the combination of the positive and negative electrode materials to achieve an optimum battery voltage. The theoretical calculations of the structure, intercalation voltage and diffusion path can be very useful for evaluating the materials and for comparison with the experimental results of the magnesium batteries which are not hassle-free.

Control of crystal size tailors the electrochemical performance of α-V2O5 as a Mg2+ intercalation host

α-V₂O₅ has been extensively explored as a Mg²⁺ intercalation host with potential as a battery cathode, offering high theoretical capacities and potentials vs. Mg²⁺/Mg. However, large voltage hysteresis is observed with Mg insertion and extraction, introducing significant and unacceptable round-trip energy losses with cycling. Conventional interpretations suggest that bulk ion transport of Mg²⁺ within the cathode particles is the major source of this hysteresis. Herein, we demonstrate that nanosizing α-V₂O₅ gives a measurable reduction to voltage hysteresis on the first cycle that substantially raises energy efficiency, indicating that mechanical formatting of the α-V₂O₅ particles contributes to hysteresis. However, no measurable improvement in hysteresis is found in the nanosized α-V₂O₅ in latter cycles despite the much shorter diffusion lengths, suggesting that other factors aside from Mg transport, such as Mg transfer between the electrolyte and electrode, contribute to this hysteresis. This observation is in sharp contrast to the conventional interpretation of Mg electrochemistry. Therefore, this study uncovers critical fundamental underpinning limiting factors in Mg battery electrochemistry, and constitutes a pivotal step towards a high-voltage, high-capacity electrode material suitable for Mg batteries with high energy density.