Editorial pubs.acs.org/cm
Cite This: Chem. Mater. 2018, 30, 559−560
Positively Highly Cited: Positive Electrode Materials for Li-Ion and LiBatteries
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CM: At what stage of your academic career were you when you submitted this review to Chemistry of Materials? Who were the other authors on the paper, and at what stage was he/she? Where are they now? LN: This review was written by the three of us, Brian Ellis, a Ph.D. student, Kyu Tae Lee, a postdoc, and me, a full professor at the University of Waterloo. Brian is now a research scientist at the Atomic Energy of Canada Limited (AECL) campus at Chalk River, in Ontario, and Kyu Tae is now associate professor at Seoul National University, heading the Electrochemical Energy Systems Laboratory there.3 CM: Given the high number of citations of this review, a significant amount of research has been impacted over the years. Where did you think the field was headed when you wrote the review? In your opinion, how has this particular research field evolved ever since? LN: We thought that the field of lithium ion batteries could be headed in many different directions at what appeared to be a turning point in 2010. The field appeared to be at a critical juncture because LIBs had been around for some time by that point, and the community was wondering if LIBs had reached their limit. “Beyond lithium” was just starting to get going, so it seemed like a good time to encapsulate the new ideas surrounding advanced electrode materials into a review. The field of rechargeable batteries has expanded greatly since then into different ion chemistries, including sodium, magnesium, zinc, and aluminum, for example. CM: If you had to put your finger on it, what made your review special? What are you most happy about when you reread it? LN: The review appeared at the right time, and it covered a range of different technologies, new ideas, and concepts at a deep level of chemistry. It was intended to be a comprehensive review, but at the same time, one that would not get too stuck in the details. We tried to cover just about everything that was hot at the time, from new layered metal oxides, polyanions such as phosphates and fluorophosphates, to lithium−sulfur batteries, but we endeavored to maintain a higher level perspective focused on the fundamental science. CM: What’s your advice to young scientists trying to discover the next breakthrough in material science? LN: Without wanting to sound glib, I would say keep your eyes open because materials chemistry is an incredibly exciting place to bethere are so many opportunities. One should not just jump on bandwagons. There are lots of things waiting behind the curtains that will be the next bandwagon. I remember a quote by hockey great Wayne Gretzy that some of my students had posted above their desks that made me smile: “Skate to where the puck is going, not to where it is.”
ur 1k Club series of articles comprises interviews with authors of papers that have been cited more than 1000 times in Chemistry of Materials. The latest member of the 1k Club is Linda Nazar (Figure 1), who, with co-authors Brian L.
Figure 1. New 1k Club member Linda Nazar.
Ellis and Kyu Tae Lee, published “Positive Electrode Materials for Li-Ion and Li-Batteries” in 2010.1 This review provided an overview of developments of positive electrodes (cathodes) from a materials chemistry perspective, starting with the emergence of lithium ion cells 20 years earlier in 1991. While improvements in lithium ion battery negative electrodes were accelerated by the development of silicon/carbon composites, major steps forward in cathode materials were required to optimize capacity and/or safety. Emerging trends in lithium transition metal oxide materials, lithium (and sodium) metal phosphates, and lithium−sulfur batteries pointed to even better performance at the positive side. The review has been cited 1312 times on Google Scholar and is labeled as a highly cited paper as per Web of Science.2 We (Chemistry of Materials, CM) interviewed Linda Nazar (LN) to find out a little more about the motivations and interest in writing this highly influential review. © 2018 American Chemical Society
Jillian M. Buriak, Editor-in-Chief Carlos Toro, Managing Editor
Published: February 13, 2018 559
DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemmater.8b00157 Chem. Mater. 2018, 30, 559−560
Chemistry of Materials
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Editorial
AUTHOR INFORMATION
ORCID
Jillian M. Buriak: 0000-0002-9567-4328 Notes
Views expressed in this editorial are those of the authors and not necessarily the views of the ACS.
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REFERENCES
(1) Ellis, B. L.; Lee, K. T.; Nazar, L. F. Positive Electrode Materials for Li-Ion and Li-Batteries. Chem. Mater. 2010, 22, 691−714. (2) Citations as of January 11, 2018. (3) http://electrochem.snu.ac.kr.
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DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemmater.8b00157 Chem. Mater. 2018, 30, 559−560
