Plasma and Ion Beam Tools for Enhanced Battery Electrode Performance

Abstract

AbstractPlasma and ion beam methods such as gas and metal ion implantation, plasma immersion ion implantation (PIII), and metal plasma immersion ion implantation and deposition (MePIIID) are introduced as powerful tools to modify the properties of battery electrodes. Three kinds of rechargeable electrochemical cells have been investigated: the lead-acid cell, the nickel alkaline-electrolyte cell, and the lithium cell. It was experimentally shown that (i) metal ion implantation of Ti, V, Cr, Ni, and W into lead and lead-antimony electrodes reduced the corrosion current by more than one order of magnitude, (ii) cobalt ion implantation into nickel electrodes enhanced the interconversion of Ni(OH)2 to NiOOH and the associated cycle life, (iii) nitrogen-PIII resulted in the formation of a nitrided lithium layer on lithium which stabilized the surface against corrosion, (iv) MePIIID with a tungsten plasma reduced the pitting corrosion of aluminum, a current collector for a lithium battery.