ELECTROSPUN NANOFIBERS FOR LITHIUM-ION BATTERIES

Energy is one of the most important topics of this century. The increasing global energy crisis and environmental pollution have driven scientists and engineers to develop highly effificient and environmentally friendly methods of creating and storing renewable energy (Wang et al., 2015; Liu et al., 2010; Goodenough and Park, 2013). A battery is an electrochemical device that stores electrical energy as chemical energy in its anode and cathode during the charging process, and releases the energy when needed as electrical output during discharge (Lu et al., 2016). Batteries based on lithium-ion intercalation have become very important since the introduction of commercial lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) by Sony in 1991, as they show great promise as an appealing power source in a wide variety of applications (Etacheri et al., 2011), such as portable electronic devices, energy storage systems, electric vehicles, and hybrid electric vehicless.

The main components of a LIB are the anode, cathode, separators, and electrolytes. Charge and discharge occur by a redox process in which lithium (Li) ions shuttle between electrodes, and the charge capacity depends on how much Li can be incorporated into the electrode materials (Choi et al., 2012). 

The characteristics of LIBs, such as long cycle life, high energy densities, high operationalvoltage, low self-discharge rate, and no memory effect, have attracted interest for academic research and industrial application (Armand and Tarascon, 2008). Many advances in LIB technology would not have been possible without the development of nanocomposites and nanometer-thick coatings to optimize ionic and electronic conduction pathways and block undesired and irreversible side reactions (Lu et al., 2016). The advantageous features of controllable fifiber diameter, high porosity, high specifific surface area, and interconnected pore structure endow electrospun nanofifibers with high electronic and ionic conductivity, which are benefificial for enhancing the cyclability and rate capability (Dong et al., 2011; Ding and Yu, 2014). Moreover, if necessary the nanofifibers can be further functionalized to control the property (i.e., electrolyte affifinity, pore size, and thermal stability) better, and thus improve the performance of the membrane-based cell. These characteristics make electrospun nanofifibers well suited for assembly of LIBs. This chapter gives a detailed overview of recent advances of electrospun nanofifibers in LIBs.

Paper link：https://www.sciencedirect.com/book/9780323512701/electrospinning-nanofabrication-and-applications