RSC Applied Interfaces publishes interdisciplinary work with an applied focus, which can be read for free here. To celebrate the excellent articles that have been published so far in our journal, we asked some of our authors to discuss their work in more detail.
In this post, we hear from Inbar Anconina and Diana Golodnitsky at Tel Aviv University, Israel, as they discuss their recently published article entitled ‘Electrophoretically deposited artificial cathode electrolyte interphase for improved performance of NMC622 at high voltage operation’.
Discover the full article here
Electrophoretically deposited artificial cathode electrolyte interphase for improved performance of NMC622 at high voltage operation
Inbar Anconina and Diana Golodnitsky
RSC Appl. Interfaces, 2025, 2, 261-278. DOI: 10.1039/D4LF00319E
Insights from the authors
This research explores the development of an artificial cathode electrolyte interphase (ART-CEI) with the use of the electrophoretic deposition (EPD) method for the enhancement of the electrochemical performance of high-energy density Li-ion batteries. Through the EPD, a composite coating of Li₆PS₅Cl (LPSC) ion-conducting nanoparticles and a polymerized ionic liquid (PIL) was applied to the NMC622 cathode surface. Structural and electrochemical analyses demonstrated that the ART-CEI effectively mitigates capacity fading, reduces interfacial resistance, suppresses cathode material degradation, and minimizes transition metal dissolution, thus leading to enhanced rate capability and long-term cycling stability at high operating voltages. We believe that these findings highlight the potential of EPD-engineered CEI layers as a scalable approach for stabilizing high-voltage cathodes.
This study is a part of a broader effort in our research group to advance EPD-based battery technologies, including investigations of DC and AC EPD mechanisms, development of a single-step concurrent EPD method for the fabrication of membrane-electrode assembly, and composite polymer-in-ceramic solid electrolytes. These studies collectively establish electrophoretic deposition as a facile and powerful tool for next-generation energy storage systems.
Meet the authors
Inbar Anconina
Inbar Anconina is a PhD candidate in the School of Chemistry at Tel Aviv University, under the supervision of Prof. Diana Golodnitsky. She earned her master’s in chemistry with high honours from Tel Aviv University in 2021. Her research focuses on the influence of electrophoretically deposited composite coatings on cathode surface in lithium- and sodium-ion batteries. These studies explore electrode-electrolyte interface chemistry and degradation mechanisms under high-voltage operation. Recently, she expanded her research to cells containing solid polymer and gel electrolytes. Additionally, she contributed to a project on ink formulation for industrial battery digital printing and is currently involved in research on sodium cathode modifications through wet-chemistry coating and doping.
Diana Golodnitsky
Prof. Diana Golodnitsky is engaged in the field of research, development and characterization of innovative materials for advanced energy technologies at the School of Chemistry, Tel Aviv University. She is a Fellow of Electrochemical Society and of Royal Society of Chemistry and has been the President of Israel Electrochemical Society (2020-24). Diana Golodnitsky spent most of her career studying fundamental electrochemistry, materials science and ion-transport phenomena in solid electrolytes and nanostructured electrodes. Her scientific interests include electrochemical synthesis, electrodeposition of metals and alloys, 3D-micro- and nano-battery architectures. Prof. Golodnitsky has supervised 44 MSc, PhD, and Postdoctoral students. She has published 146 papers, seven book chapters, and more than 240 conference publications. Diana Golodnitsky holds 20 patents and is a co-founder of three startup companies.
RSC Applied Interfaces is a dedicated, interdisciplinary reference journal for cutting-edge research on the applications of surfaces and interfaces. In addition to the applied focus, work considered for publication in RSC Applied Interfaces is expected to be highly original and of top quality. The journal seeks to report major scientific advances beyond the state of the art, at the cutting edge of this interdisciplinary field.