Unravelling the Impact of Reaction Paths on Mechanical Degradation of Intercalation Cathodes for Lithium-Ion Batteries

Juchuan Li, Qinglin Zhang, Xingcheng Xiao, Yang Tse Cheng, Chengdu Liang, Nancy J. Dudney

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

64 Scopus citations

Abstract

The intercalation compounds are generally considered as ideal electrode materials for lithium-ion batteries thanks to their minimum volume expansion and fast lithium ion diffusion. However, cracking still occurs in those compounds and has been identified as one of the critical issues responsible for their capacity decay and short cycle life, although the diffusion-induced stress and volume expansion are much smaller than those in alloying-type electrodes. Here, we designed a thin-film model system that enables us to tailor the cation ordering in LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4 spinels and correlate the stress patterns, phase evolution, and cycle performances. Surprisingly, we found that distinct reaction paths cause negligible difference in the overall stress patterns but significantly different cracking behaviors and cycling performances: 95% capacity retention for disordered LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4 and 48% capacity retention for ordered LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4 after 2000 cycles. We were able to pinpoint that the extended solid-solution region with suppressed phase transformation attributed to the superior electrochemical performance of disordered spinel. This work envisions a strategy for rationally designing stable cathodes for lithium-ion batteries through engineering the atomic structure that extends the solid-solution region and suppresses phase transformation.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)13732-13735
Number of pages4
JournalJournal of the American Chemical Society
Volume137
Issue number43
DOIs
StatePublished - Nov 4 2015

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2015 American Chemical Society.

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Catalysis
  • General Chemistry
  • Biochemistry
  • Colloid and Surface Chemistry

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Unravelling the Impact of Reaction Paths on Mechanical Degradation of Intercalation Cathodes for Lithium-Ion Batteries'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this