Presentation Title：The Role of Niobium in Lithium Manganese Oxide Cathode Materials

Abstract：

Lithium manganese oxide (LiMn₂O₄), owing to its low cost, environmental friendliness, and high operating voltage, has been widely used as a cathode material for lithium-ion batteries. However, its severe capacity fading during cycling and poor high-temperature stability greatly limit its practical applications. To address these issues, modification with transition metal elements has emerged as an effective strategy, among which niobium (Nb), due to its unique chemical properties, shows great potential in enhancing structural stability and interfacial reactions. This report focuses on the regulatory role of Nb in spinel LiMn₂O₄, systematically investigating its effects on primary particle size, Mn valence states, and electrochemical performance. The proposed strategy significantly improves the cycling stability and rate capability of LiMn₂O₄, highlighting the dual advantages of Nb in stabilizing both the crystal framework and interfacial chemistry, thereby laying a solid foundation for its application in high-power, long-life lithium-ion batteries.

Bio：

Prof. Dr. Weibo Hua focuses on the development, precise construction, and reaction mechanism studies of new energy battery materials. To date, he has published over 100 high-level academic papers, with more than 7,500 citations, an H-index of 49, 17 papers cited over 100 times, and 10 ESI Highly Cited Papers, as well as co-authoring one book chapter. In the past five years, he has published more than 60 papers as first or corresponding author in prestigious journals such as Nature Communications, Angewandte Chemie International Edition, and Advanced Materials. Several of his research achievements have been highlighted by People’s Daily, China Energy Storage Network, Process Industry (PROCESS), and by major international research facilities including BNL (USA), DESY (Germany), PSI (Switzerland), and ALBA (Spain). He holds 15 Chinese invention patents (applied/authorized) and has led more than 10 national and provincial-level projects, including those funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China.