Issue 35, 2021

Dopants modulate crystal growth in molten salts enabled by surface energy tuning

Abstract

Crystalline materials are routinely produced via high-temperature synthesis and show size-dependent properties; however, a rational approach to regulating their crystal growth has not been established. Here we show that dopants traditionally used for modifying crystal lattices can also function as growth mediators in molten-salt synthesis by altering the surface energy and thus the nucleation barrier and the critical nuclei size. This was demonstrated by size-tunable synthesis of lithium cobalt oxide (LiCoO2) with a trace amount of titanium oxide or tungsten oxide as the dopant. The understanding of the dopant-mediated growth mechanism allows the rational design and control of the particle size and the doping for LiCoO2, enabling a high energy-density battery cathode with exceptional rate capability and cycle stability at high voltages intolerable for conventional LiCoO2.

Graphical abstract: Dopants modulate crystal growth in molten salts enabled by surface energy tuning

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Communication
Submitted
20 mar 2021
Accepted
01 iyn 2021
First published
01 iyn 2021

J. Mater. Chem. A, 2021,9, 19675-19680

Dopants modulate crystal growth in molten salts enabled by surface energy tuning

X. Li, L. Zhou, H. Wang, D. Meng, G. Qian, Y. Wang, Y. He, Y. Wu, Z. Hong, Z. Ma and L. Li, J. Mater. Chem. A, 2021, 9, 19675 DOI: 10.1039/D1TA02351A

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