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Title: Oxygen Release Induced Chemomechanical Breakdown of Layered Cathode Materials

Journal Article · · Nano Letters
 [1];  [2];  [3];  [4];  [5];  [5];  [1];  [6];  [5]; ORCiD logo [7]; ORCiD logo [5]; ORCiD logo [3]; ORCiD logo [2]; ORCiD logo [1]
  1. Virginia Polytechnic Inst. and State Univ. (Virginia Tech), Blacksburg, VA (United States)
  2. Brookhaven National Lab. (BNL), Upton, NY (United States)
  3. Purdue Univ., West Lafayette, IN (United States)
  4. Tianjin Univ. of Technology, Tianjin (China)
  5. SLAC National Accelerator Lab., Menlo Park, CA (United States)
  6. Center for High Pressure Science & Technology Advanced Research, Shanghai (China)
  7. Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)

Chemical and mechanical properties interplay on the nanometric scale and collectively govern the functionalities of battery materials. Understanding the relationship between the two can inform the design of battery materials with optimal chemomechanical properties for long-life lithium batteries. Herein, we report a mechanism of nanoscale mechanical breakdown in layered oxide cathode materials, originating from oxygen release at high states of charge under thermal abuse conditions. Here, we observe that the mechanical breakdown of charged Li1-xNi0.4Mn0.4Co0.2O2 materials proceeds via a two-step pathway involving intergranular and intragranular crack formation. Owing to the oxygen release, sporadic phase transformations from the layered structure to the spinel and/or rocksalt structures introduce local stress, which initiates microcracks along grain boundaries and ultimately leads to the detachment of primary particles; i.e., intergranular crack formation. Furthermore, intragranular cracks (pores and exfoliations) form, likely due to the accumulation of oxygen vacancies and continuous phase transformations at the surfaces of primary particles. Finally, finite element modeling confirms our experimental observation that the crack formation is attributable to formation of oxygen vacancies, oxygen release, and phase transformations. This study is designed to directly observe the chemomechanical behavior of layered oxide cathode materials and provides a chemical basis for strengthening primary and secondary particles by stabilizing the oxygen anions in the lattice.

Research Organization:
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL), Upton, NY (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Vehicle Technologies Office (EE-3V)
Grant/Contract Number:
AC02-05CH11231; SC0012704
OSTI ID:
1532317
Alternate ID(s):
OSTI ID: 1438313
Report Number(s):
BNL-205669-2018-JAAM; ark:/13030/qt6kh823p0
Journal Information:
Nano Letters, Vol. 18, Issue 5; ISSN 1530-6984
Publisher:
American Chemical SocietyCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 208 works
Citation information provided by
Web of Science

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Oxygen Release Degradation in Li‐Ion Battery Cathode Materials: Mechanisms and Mitigating Approaches journal April 2019
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