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Abstract Layered oxide cathode with a Li‐O‐vacancy configuration offers high capacity by leveraging additional oxygen redox reactions. However, it faces severe challenges of sluggish kinetics of oxygen redox reactions and lattice oxygen loss, resulting in slow Li+diffusion and rapid electrochemical degradation. Herein, Ti is introduced as electrochemical inactive element into Li‐O‐vacancy configuration to form Mn/vacancy/Ti arrangement within transition metal layers of layered oxide, achieving a marked increase in average output voltage at high current density compared with Ti‐free counterpart. Not only voltage hysteresis between charge and discharge processes can be significantly reduced, but rate capability can be heightened in Li4/7[□1/7Ti1/7Mn5/7]O2by means of retrained over‐potential and improved Li+diffusivity. Furthermore, theoretical calculations suggest that these improvements stem from Ti substitution, which elongates the Li─O bond and lowers the Li+migration energy barrier. Besides, in situ differential electrochemical mass spectrometry and soft X‐ray absorption spectroscopy reveal the modified Li‐O‐vacancy configuration enables reversible anionic and cationic redox behaviors during cycling. These findings provide a promising strategy for tailoring oxygen redox activity and accelerating Li+diffusion kinetics in layered cathode materials with oxygen redox chemistry.
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Surface Reduction Stabilizes the Single-Crystalline Ni-Rich Layered Cathode for Li-Ion Batteries
The surface of the layered transition metal oxide cathode plays an important role in its function and degradation. Modification of the surface structure and chemistry is often necessary to overcome the debilitating effect of the native surface. Here, we employ a chemical reduction method using CaI2 to modify the native surface of single-crystalline layered transition metal oxide cathode particles. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy shows the formation of a conformal cubic phase at the particle surface, where the outmost layer is enriched with Ca. The modified surface significantly improves the long-term capacity retention at low rates of cycling, yet the rate capability is compromised by the impeded interfacial kinetics at high voltages. The lack of oxygen vacancy generation in the chemically induced surface phase transformation likely results in a dense surface layer that accounts for the improved electrochemical stability and impeded Li-ion diffusion. This work highlights the strong dependence of the electrode’s (electro)chemical stability and intercalation kinetics on the surface structure and chemistry, which can be further tailored by the chemical reduction method.
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- PAR ID:
- 10352785
- Editor(s):
- Yiying Wu
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces
- ISSN:
- 1944-8244
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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- Free Publicly Accessible Full Text
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Accepted Manuscript1.0
- Journal Article:
- https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.2c09937
