A Simple Prelithiation Strategy To Build a High-Rate and Long-Life Lithium-Ion Battery with Improved Low-Temperature Performance.

Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) are being used to power the commercial electric vehicles (EVs). However, the charge/discharge rate and life of current LIBs still cannot satisfy the further development of EVs. Furthermore, the poor low-temperature performance of LIBs limits their application in cold climates and high altitude areas. Herein, a simple prelithiation method is developed to fabricate a new LIB. In this strategy, a Li3 V2 (PO4 )3 cathode and a pristine hard carbon anode are used to form a primary cell, and the initial Li+ extraction from Li3 V2 (PO4 )3 is used to prelithiate the hard carbon. Then, the self-formed Li2 V2 (PO4 )3 cathode and prelithiated hard carbon anode are used to form a 4 V LIB. The LIB exhibits a maximum energy density of 208.3 Wh kg-1 , a maximum power density of 8291 W kg-1 and a long life of 2000 cycles. When operated at -40 °C, the LIB can keep 67 % capacity of room temperature, which is much better than conventional LIBs.