LiNiPO4 Aqueous Rechargeable Battery

Abstract

Considering the safety, cost and low ohmic resistance issues with respect to the non-aqueous electrolytes that are generally used in rechargeable lithium ion batteries, aqueous electrolytes attract wide interest. A traditional Zn-MnO2 battery in which potassium hydroxide (KOH) has been replaced with a lithium hydroxide (LiOH) electrolyte is discussed. As lithium intercalation materials are of special interest as cathode in rechargeable batteries, the new concept has been extended to use lithium nickel phosphate as cathode for aqueous rechargeable batteries. Here, we show reversible extraction and insertion of lithium from and into olivine LiNiPO4 in aqueous solutions. These cells are found to be cheap, rechargeable and safe. The unique sol-gel synthesis has been used to synthesize LiNiPO4 which has been characterized in order to evaluate a new potential cathode for aqueous rechargeable batteries.