Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Atomic resolution of lithium ions in LiCoO2.

Yang Shao-Horn1, Laurence Croguennec, Claude Delmas

  • 1Department of Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA. shaohorn@mit.edu

Nature Materials
|June 14, 2003
PubMed
Summary

Researchers visualized lithium atoms in LiCoO2 battery material using transmission electron microscopy. This breakthrough allows direct observation of lithium ordering, crucial for improving rechargeable battery performance.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

From Cation Solvation to Anion Coordination: Lewis-Acidic Boranes Enable Halide Salt Electrolytes.

The journal of physical chemistry. B·2026
Same author

Increasingly Reversible Na/Cl<sub>2</sub> and Li/Cl<sub>2</sub> Batteries.

Journal of the American Chemical Society·2026
Same author

Engineering Materials for Electrochemical Energy Storage via Ionic Liquid and Deep Eutectic Solvent Synthesis Media.

ACS materials Au·2026
Same author

Nanoengineering of non-aqueous liquid electrolyte solutions for future lithium metal batteries.

Nature nanotechnology·2026
Same author

Ortho-phosphite <math><mo>(</mo> <msubsup><mrow><mi>PO</mi></mrow> <mrow><mn>3</mn></mrow> <mrow><mn>3</mn> <mo>-</mo></mrow></msubsup> <mo>)</mo></math> : Mechanochemical Synthesis of a Missing Oxoanion and Precursor to Value-Added Organophosphorus Compounds.

ACS central science·2026
Same author

Correlated terahertz phonon-ion interactions control ion conduction in a solid electrolyte.

Materials horizons·2026

Area of Science:

  • Materials Science
  • Electrochemistry
  • Nanotechnology

Background:

  • Lithium cobalt oxide (LiCoO2) is a key material in lithium-ion batteries, essential for portable electronics.
  • The performance of these batteries relies on the precise ordering of lithium ions and vacancies within the host material.
  • Traditional diffraction methods struggle to detect lithium due to its low scattering power.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To overcome the limitations of traditional techniques in visualizing lithium ions within battery materials.
  • To demonstrate the capability of advanced transmission electron microscopy for atomic-resolution imaging of lithium.
  • To enable direct observation of lithium ordering and vacancy distribution in LiCoO2.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized a mid-voltage transmission electron microscope (TEM) for high-resolution imaging.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Acquired experimental focal series of LiCoO2 images at sub-ångstrom resolution.
  • Applied advanced electron microscopy techniques to resolve individual atom columns.

    • Main Results:

    • Successfully resolved columns of cobalt, oxygen, and lithium atoms in layered LiCoO2.
    • Achieved the first-ever direct visualization of lithium atoms using electron microscopy.
    • Demonstrated sub-ångstrom resolution capable of distinguishing individual lithium atoms.

    Conclusions:

    • Transmission electron microscopy can effectively visualize light elements like lithium, previously challenging for other methods.
    • This technique offers a powerful new approach for studying atomic ordering in battery materials.
    • The findings pave the way for direct visualization of lithium and vacancy ordering, crucial for optimizing battery design and performance.