Abstract

Background: Many studies on the electrochemical properties of electrospun nanofiber in lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) have been performed. To the best of our knowledge, no work has yet summarized the use of electrospun one-dimensional materials as anode materials and also assessed the influence of this unique morphology on the properties of LIBs properties. This review describes recent advances in the synthesis and characterization of a variety of 1D multifunctional oxides, oxide composites and oxide-carbon composites electrospun nanofibers used as anodes in LIBs, which provide both excellent capacity and high mechanical integrity.

Method: Oxide, oxide composite and oxide-carbon composite electrospun nanofibers are reviewed as anodes in LIBs. For each material type, we report on the structural and electrochemical properties, and also discuss how to control the structures of the resulting materials and improve the electrochemical performance characteristics (e.g., capacity, cycle life, and rate capability). We apply correlation method and step-to-step focusing method to present the references.

Results: 176 papers were included in the review; 6 tables and 7 figures are shown in this paper. The manuscript is divided into 5 parts. For the electrospinning parameters of nanofibers, different conditions were compared, such as polymer, solvent, polymer concentration, voltage level, and tip-tocollector distance. The processing conditions of electrospun oxides nanofibers are also discussed, including the oxide precursor, solvent, voltage level, calcination temperature/heating rate. The performance of electrospun oxide nanofibers as electrodes in LIBs are summarized including metal oxide- metal, metal oxide- metal oxide, and metal oxide-carbon composites.

Conclusion: The findings of this review confirm that prepared electrospun electrode materials tend to form 3D interconnected networks, which can enhance electrochemical activities of electrode materials via facilitating electronic/ionic transfers. The electrochemical performance of electrospun MexOy nanofibers depends on process parameters and also the component structure such as metalembedded, carbon coated/doped, and metal oxide hybrid material. However, the electrospun MexOy nanofibers require additional development before commercial application. To utilize the described materials as effective anodes in commercial LIBs, especially for electric vehicle applications, additional research work is required.

Keywords: Electrode, electrospining, lithium-ion battery, metal oxide, nanofiber.

Graphical Abstract