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Title: Tuning of Thermal Stability in Layered Li(Ni x Mn y Co z )O 2

Journal Article · · Journal of the American Chemical Society
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1021/jacs.6b07771· OSTI ID:1340886

Understanding and further designing new layered Li(NixMnyCoz)O2 (NMC) (x + y + z = 1) materials with optimized thermal stability is important to rechargeable Li batteries (LIBs) for electrical vehicles (EV). Using ab initio calculations combined with experiments, we clarified how the thermal stability of NMC materials can be tuned by the most unstable oxygen, which is determined by the local coordination structure unit (LCSU) of oxygen (TM(Ni, Mn, Co)3-O-Li3-x'): each O atom bonds with three transition metals (TM) from the TM-layer and three to zero Li from fully discharged to charged states from the Li-layer. Under this model, how the lithium content, valence states of Ni, contents of Ni, Mn, and Co, and Ni/Li disorder to tune the thermal stability of NMC materials by affecting the sites, content, and the release temperature of the most unstable oxygen is proposed. The synergistic effect between Li vacancies and raised valence state of Ni during delithiation process can aggravate instability of oxygen, and oxygen coordinated with more nickel (especially with high valence state) in LSCU becomes more unstable at a fixed delithiation state. The Ni/Li mixing would decrease the thermal stability of the “NiMn” group NMC materials but benefit the thermal stability of “Ni-rich” group, because the Ni in the Li layer would form 180° Ni-O-Ni super exchange chains in “Ni-rich” NMC materials. Mn and Co doping can tune the initial valence state of Ni, local coordination environment of oxygen, and the Ni/Li disorder, thus to tune the thermal stability directly.

Research Organization:
Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE
DOE Contract Number:
AC05-76RL01830
OSTI ID:
1340886
Report Number(s):
PNNL-SA-122525; 48379; KP1704020
Journal Information:
Journal of the American Chemical Society, Vol. 138, Issue 40; ISSN 0002-7863
Publisher:
American Chemical Society (ACS)
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English