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Title: Kinetic phase evolution of spinel cobalt oxide during lithiation

Journal Article · · ACS Nano
 [1];  [2];  [2];  [3];  [4];  [2];  [2];  [2];  [2];  [4];  [2];  [2]
  1. Brookhaven National Lab. (BNL), Upton, NY (United States); Stony Brook Univ., Stony Brook, NY (United States)
  2. Brookhaven National Lab. (BNL), Upton, NY (United States)
  3. Harvard Univ., Cambridge, MA (United States)
  4. Univ. of Maryland, College Park, MD (United States)

Spinel cobalt oxide has been proposed to undergo a multiple-step reaction during the electrochemical lithiation process. Understanding the kinetics of the lithiation process in this compound is crucial to optimize its performance and cyclability. In this work, we have utilized a low-angle annular dark-field scanning transmission electron microscopy method to visualize the dynamic reaction process in real time and study the reaction kinetics at different rates. We show that the particles undergo a two-step reaction at the single-particle level, which includes an initial intercalation reaction followed by a conversion reaction. At low rates, the conversion reaction starts after the intercalation reaction has fully finished, consistent with the prediction of density functional theoretical calculations. At high rates, the intercalation reaction is overwhelmed by the subsequently nucleated conversion reaction, and the reaction speeds of both the intercalation and conversion reactions are increased. Phase-field simulations show the crucial role of surface diffusion rates of lithium ions in controlling this process. Furthermore, this work provides microscopic insights into the reaction dynamics in non-equilibrium conditions and highlights the effect of lithium diffusion rates on the overall reaction homogeneity as well as the performance.

Research Organization:
Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL), Upton, NY (United States). Center for Functional Nanomaterials (CFN); Energy Frontier Research Centers (EFRC) (United States). Center for Mesoscale Transport Properties (m2M)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES)
Grant/Contract Number:
SC0012704; SC0012673
OSTI ID:
1328370
Report Number(s):
BNL-112671-2016-JA; KC0403020
Journal Information:
ACS Nano, Journal Name: ACS Nano; ISSN 1936-0851
Publisher:
American Chemical Society (ACS)Copyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 44 works
Citation information provided by
Web of Science

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Review of Recent Development of In Situ/Operando Characterization Techniques for Lithium Battery Research journal May 2019
A critical review-promises and barriers of conversion electrodes for Li-ion batteries journal April 2017
Atomic visualization of a non-equilibrium sodiation pathway in copper sulfide journal March 2018
Phase evolution of conversion-type electrode for lithium ion batteries journal May 2019
Size-dependent kinetics during non-equilibrium lithiation of nano-sized zinc ferrite journal January 2019
Recent Advances in Designing High-Capacity Anode Nanomaterials for Li-Ion Batteries and Their Atomic-Scale Storage Mechanism Studies journal April 2018
Defects‐Induced In‐Plane Heterophase in Cobalt Oxide Nanosheets for Oxygen Evolution Reaction journal October 2019