Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 24, 2026
10:03
Characterization of Electrode Materials for Lithium Ion and Sodium Ion Batteries Using Synchrotron Radiation Techniques
Published on: November 11, 2013
26.0K
Oxygen Vacancy Diffusion and Condensation in Lithium-Ion Battery Cathode Materials
Sanghan Lee1, Wooyoung Jin1, Su Hwan Kim1
1Department of Energy Engineering and School of Energy and Chemical Engineering, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST), Ulsan, 44919, Republic of Korea.
Angewandte Chemie (International Ed. in English)
|May 24, 2019
Summary
Oxygen vacancies in transition metal oxides critically affect lithium-ion battery performance. Their migration and condensation cause microcracking in cathodes, explaining capacity fading and offering new electrochemical application insights.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Electrochemistry
- Solid-State Chemistry
Background:
- Native defects like oxygen vacancies (OV) significantly influence transition metal (TM) oxide properties.
- Metal oxides are crucial as lithium-ion battery (LIB) cathodes, yet the role of OVs remains unclear.
- Understanding OV behavior is vital for advancing LIB technology.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the behavior of oxygen vacancies in a single-crystal LIB cathode during charge and discharge cycles.
- To elucidate the mechanisms behind microcrack evolution and capacity fading in LIBs.
- To provide new insights into electrochemical applications of metal oxides.
Main Methods:
- In-situ analysis of OV behavior in single-crystal LIB cathodes.
- Tracking migration of oxygen vacancies and transition metal ions.
- Correlating OV condensation with microcrack formation and crystallographic orientation.
Main Results:
- Oxygen vacancies condense in specific crystallographic orientations during charge/discharge.
- Continuous migration of OVs and TM ions drives microcrack evolution in single crystals.
- OV behavior directly links to capacity fading mechanisms in LIBs.
Conclusions:
- Oxygen vacancies play a critical role in the structural integrity and performance of LIB cathodes.
- Understanding OV dynamics is key to mitigating capacity fading and designing improved LIBs.
- This research opens avenues for novel electrochemical applications leveraging controlled OV engineering.
Related Concept Videos
03:12Batteries and Fuel Cells
30.8K
A battery is a galvanic cell that is used as a source of electrical power for specific applications. Modern batteries exist in a multitude of forms to accommodate various applications, from tiny button batteries such as those that power wristwatches to the very large batteries used to supply backup energy to municipal power grids. Some batteries are designed for single-use applications and cannot be recharged (primary cells), while others are based on conveniently reversible cell reactions that...
30.8K
01:12Diffusion
217.1K
Diffusion is the passive movement of substances down their concentration gradients—requiring no expenditure of cellular energy. Substances, such as molecules or ions, diffuse from an area of high concentration to an area of low concentration in the cytosol or across membranes. Eventually, the concentration will even out, with the substance moving randomly but causing no net change in concentration. Such a state is called dynamic equilibrium, which is essential for maintaining overall...
217.1K
01:33Aldol Condensation vs Claisen Condensation
7.8K
Aldol condensation is an acid or base-catalyzed condensation between aldehydes or ketones to give an α,ꞵ-unsaturated carbonyl compound. A base-promoted condensation between ester molecules to produce a ꞵ-ketoester is known as the Claisen condensation. In the presence of a base, both reactions involve deprotonation of the acidic α hydrogen to produce the corresponding enolates. The nucleophilic enolates attack their respective nonenolized carbonyl compound forming a tetrahedral...
7.8K
01:19Ion Channels
91.2K
The movement of ions like sodium, potassium, and calcium into and out of the cell is essential to maintain the electrochemical gradient in living cells. The ion channels—a class of membrane transport proteins—help maintain this ionic gradient for the smooth functioning of physiological activities such as maintaining cell size and volume, conducting nerve impulses, and gas and nutrient exchange.
Ion channels are specialized integral membrane proteins on the plasma membrane that allow...
Ion channels are specialized integral membrane proteins on the plasma membrane that allow...
91.2K
02:39Phase Transitions: Vaporization and Condensation
20.8K
The physical form of a substance changes on changing its temperature. For example, raising the temperature of a liquid causes the liquid to vaporize (convert into vapor). The process is called vaporization—a surface phenomenon. Vaporization occurs when the thermal motion of the molecules overcome the intermolecular forces, and the molecules (at the surface) escape into the gaseous state. When a liquid vaporizes in a closed container, gas molecules cannot escape. As these gas phase molecules...
20.8K
02:54Trends in Lattice Energy: Ion Size and Charge
26.6K
An ionic compound is stable because of the electrostatic attraction between its positive and negative ions. The lattice energy of a compound is a measure of the strength of this attraction. The lattice energy (ΔHlattice) of an ionic compound is defined as the energy required to separate one mole of the solid into its component gaseous ions. For the ionic solid sodium chloride, the lattice energy is the enthalpy change of the process:
26.6K