Combinatorial investigations of advanced Li-ion rechargeable battery electrode materials

Future advances in Li-ion rechargeable battery performance are strongly linked to improved electrode materials. Candidate materials for the negative electrode of the future generally contain multiple elements and broad composition ranges. There are surprisingly few published accounts of combinatorial investigations of Li-ion rechargeable battery electrode materials. This paper describes the combinatorial infrastructure of the Dahn group at Dalhousie University as it relates to other published accounts in the search for advanced Li-ion rechargeable battery negative electrode materials. Sample data sets are provided for various material systems. Special attention is paid to start-up and operational costs to encourage other groups to adopt combinatorial methods in this and other fields.