Effect of Lorentz force on the electrochemical performance of lithium-ion batteries

Lorentz force theory demonstrates that electric current density and magnetic force are proportional, indicating that they compensate each other. In a battery operated at high magnetic forces, the electrons in the active material move fast in a specific magnetic field. γ-Fe₂O₃, a highly magnetic material, is used to prepare LiFePO₄ electrodes to study the effect of the Lorentz force on lithium-ion battery performance. The magnetic field created by γ-Fe₂O₃ induces magnetic forces on the charged LiFePO₄ particles, accelerating electron movement. Superconducting quantum interference measurements reveal that saturation magnetization and remanence are prominent when γ-Fe₂O₃ is added to the LiFePO₄ electrodes. The LiFePO₄ electrode containing 15 wt% γ-Fe₂O₃ led to superior battery capacity (69.8 mAh g^? 1 at 10C) compared with the pure LiFePO₄ electrode (1.8 mAh g^? 1 at 10C). In this study, Lorentz force theory is applied to improve the specific capacity and cycle life at high current rates of a battery containing LiFePO₄ cathode materials, suggesting that incorporating γ-Fe₂O₃ into the cathode is an easy and cheap strategy for increasing the power density and cycle life of lithium-ion batteries.