Declan O'Connor
Materials science and engineering
Hometown: Carlisle, Massachusetts, United States
Graduation date: Spring 2028
Additional details: Honors student
FURI | Spring 2026
Iron phosphate coating for enhanced cycling stability of lithium manganese oxide in aqueous environment
The use of cathode materials for aqueous lithium-ion batteries in direct lithium extraction for brine is a promising avenue of research. The primary issue facing cathode materials in aqueous environments is the rapid degradation of capacity. Common cathode materials such as lithium manganese oxide (LMO) lose capacity quickly within an aqueous environment due to mechanisms such as dissolution of manganese. Enhancing cycling stability of cathode materials can be done via surface modification methods such as substitution or surface coatings, which help suppress the dissolution of manganese. Surface coatings create a barrier between the cathode material and the aqueous environment while allowing insertion and removal of lithium ions. Previous studies on surface coatings have been done for LMO, but few studies have been done in an aqueous environment. This project aims to improve the cycling stability of LMO via an iron phosphate surface coating. This will enable longer lifetime of cathode materials used for direct lithium extraction, increasing efficiency of extraction processes.
Mentor: Linqin Mu
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