Electrospinning-based Fabrication and Electrochemical Characterization of Lithium-ion Battery Electrode Materials

Lithium-ion batteries are products of next-generation energy storage technology that find various applications, e.g., in compact electronic devices and power sources of smart grids, because of their high energy density, low self-discharge, and long life cycles. To be utilized as a power source for a smart grid, lithium-ion batteries require not only a high energy density, but also a high power density. Power density is related to the amount of lithium-ion movement per hour and the surface area of battery electrodes. In this study, an electrospinning technique was used to fabricate a lithium-nickel-cobalt oxide nano-web (LNCOw) with a high specific surface area. The morphology of the LNCOw was investigated by field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), which showed that the LNCOw had an average fiber diameter of 350 nm. Thermogravimetric analysis was performed to determine the optimal temperature for LNCOw synthesis. Furthermore, X-ray diffraction analysis confirmed that the nano-webs consisted of LiNi0.7Co0.3O₂ . Finally, the specific capacity of LNCOw electrodes was found to be 133.4 mAh/g at 0.2 C-rate, as measured using chronopotentiometry.