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Updated: May 28, 2026

In Situ Neutron Powder Diffraction Using Custom-made Lithium-ion Batteries
Published on: November 10, 2014
Suppression of phase separation in LiFePO₄ nanoparticles during battery discharge
Peng Bai1, Daniel A Cogswell, Martin Z Bazant
1Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States.
Abstract:
Using a novel electrochemical phase-field model, we question the common belief that Li(X)FePO(4) nanoparticles always separate into Li-rich and Li-poor phases during battery discharge. For small currents, spinodal decomposition or nucleation leads to moving phase boundaries. Above a critical current density (in the Tafel regime), the spinodal disappears, and particles fill homogeneously, which may explain the superior rate capability and long cycle life of nano-LiFePO(4) cathodes.
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