An Overview on Stabilized Lithium Metal Powder (SLMP), an Enabling Material for a New Generation of Li-Ion Batteries

Abstract

The current Li-ion battery technology has reached its maturity and incremental improvements in energy density can not meet the increasing demand for more energy and power for portable electronic applications. Stabilized Lithium Metal Powder (SLMPTM) is an enabling material and technology that creates opportunities for more choices of active materials to be used in Li-ion batteries resulting in systems with improved performance in energy, safety and possibly cost. In this work we have discussed the initial results for SLMP stability in selected solvents. Material has been incorporated into Li-ion cells and results indicate that SLMP could be used as an independent source of lithium. Examples of using SLMP to improve the first cycle efficiency in silicon composite material and of Li-ion cell built with non-lithium providing cathode, such as the first Li-ion battery fabricated with a metal fluoride, are discussed. Approaches for synthesis of tin and silicon nanocomposites are presented.