Toward the Potential Scale-Up of Sn0.9Mn0.1O2‖LiNi0.6Mn0.2Co0.2O2 Li-Ion Batteries – Powering a Remote-Controlled Vehicle and Life Cycle Assessment

Abstract

Academic research in the battery field frequently remains limited to small coin or pouch cells, especially for new materials that are still rather far from commercialization, which renders a meaningful evaluation at an early stage of development challenging. Here, the realization of large lab-scale pouch cells comprising Sn0.9Mn0.1O2 (SMO), prepared via an easily scalable hydrothermal synthesis method, as an alternative active material for the negative electrode and LiNi0.6Mn0.2Co0.2O2 (NMC622) as a commercially available active material for the positive electrode is reported. Nine double-layer pouch cells are connected in series and parallel, suitable for powering a remote-controlled vehicle. Subsequently, these SMO‖NMC622 cells are critically evaluated by means of an early-stage life cycle assessment and compared to graphite‖NMC622 cells, in order to get first insights into the potential advantages and challenges of such lithium-ion chemistry.