Effect of composition on the structure of lithium- and manganese-rich transition metal oxides
- Energy Storage and Distributed Resources Division; Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory; Berkeley; USA; SuperSTEM
- SuperSTEM; Daresbury; UK
- National Center for Electron Microscopy; Molecular Foundry; Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory; Berkeley; USA
- Erich Schmid Institute of Materials Science; Austrian Academy of Sciences; Leoben; Austria
- Envia Systems; Newark; USA
The choice of chemical composition of lithium- and manganese-rich transition metal oxides used as cathode materials in lithium-ion batteries can significantly impact their long-term viability as storage solutions for clean energy automotive applications. Their structure has been widely debated: conflicting conclusions drawn from individual studies often considering different compositions have made it challenging to reach a consensus and inform future research. In this, complementary electron microscopy techniques over a wide range of length scales reveal the effect of lithium-to-transition metal-ratio on the surface and bulk structure of these materials. We found that decreasing the lithium-to-transition metal-ratio resulted in a significant change in terms of order and atomic-level local composition in the bulk of these cathode materials. However, throughout the composition range studied, the materials consisted solely of a monoclinic phase, with lower lithium content materials showing more chemical ordering defects. In contrast, the spinel-structured surface present on specific crystallographic facets exhibited no noticeable structural change when varying the ratio of lithium to transition metal. The structural observations from this study warrant a reexamination of commonly assumed models linking poor electrochemical performance with bulk and surface structure.
- Research Organization:
- Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES); USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Vehicle Technologies Office (EE-3V); Engineering and Physical Science Research Council (EFRC)
- Grant/Contract Number:
- EE0006443; AC02-05CH11231
- OSTI ID:
- 1420189
- Alternate ID(s):
- OSTI ID: 1465456
- Journal Information:
- Energy & Environmental Science, Journal Name: Energy & Environmental Science Vol. 11 Journal Issue: 4; ISSN 1754-5692
- Publisher:
- Royal Society of ChemistryCopyright Statement
- Country of Publication:
- United Kingdom
- Language:
- English
Web of Science
Similar Records
Revealing Anisotropic Spinel Formation on Pristine Li- and Mn-Rich Layered Oxide Surface and Its Impact on Cathode Performance
Unravelling structural ambiguities in lithium- and manganese-rich transition metal oxides