Best Practices for Mitigating Irreversible Capacity Loss of Negative Electrodes in Li-Ion Batteries

Development of high performance lithium-ion (Li-ion) power packs is a topic receiving significant attention in research today. Future development of the Li-ion power packs relies on the development of high capacity and high rate anodes. More specifically, materials undergo either conversion or an alloying mechanism with Li. However, irreversible capacity loss (ICL) is one of the prime issues for this type of negative electrode. Traditional insertion-type materials also experience ICL, but it is considered negligible. Therefore, eliminating ICL is crucial before the fabrication of practical Li-ion cells with conventional cathodes such as LiFePO₄, LiMn₂O₄, etc. There are numerous methods for eliminating ICL such as pre-treating the electrode, usage of stabilized Li metal powder, chemical and electrochemical lithiation, sacrificial salts for both anode and cathode, etc. The research strategies that have been explored are reviewed here in regards to the elimination of ICL from the high capacity anodes as described. Additionally, mitigating ICL observed from the carbonaceous anodes is discussed and compared.