High-Safety Anode Materials for Advanced Lithium-Ion Batteries

Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) play a pivotal role in today’s society, with widespread applications in portable electronics, electric vehicles, and smart grids. Commercial LIBs predominantly utilize graphite anodes due to their high energy density and cost-effectiveness. Graphite anodes face challenges, however, in extreme safety-demanding situations, such as airplanes and passenger ships. The lithiation of graphite can potentially form lithium dendrites at low temperatures, causing short circuits. Additionally, the dissolution of the solid-electrolyte-interphase on graphite surfaces at high temperatures can lead to intense reactions with the electrolyte, initiating thermal runaway. This review introduces two promising high-safety anode materials, Li₄Ti₅O₁₂ and TiNb₂O₇. Both materials exhibit low tendencies towards lithium dendrite formation and have high onset temperatures for reactions with the electrolyte, resulting in reduced heat generation and significantly lower probabilities of thermal runaway. Li₄Ti₅O₁₂ and TiNb₂O₇ offer enhanced safety characteristics compared to graphite, making them suitable for applications with stringent safety requirements. This review provides a comprehensive overview of Li₄Ti₅O₁₂ and TiNb₂O₇, focusing on their material properties and practical applicability. It aims to contribute to the understanding and development of high-safety anode materials for advanced LIBs, addressing the challenges and opportunities associated with their implementation in real-world applications.