Morphological Control to Enhance Diffusion Kinetics and Structural Stability on Li-Rich Layered Oxides Cathode for...

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Electrochemistry
• Computational Modeling

Background:

• Cathode material morphology is critical for electrochemical performance in lithium-ion batteries.
• Improving lithium-ion diffusion kinetics and structural stability in Li-rich layered oxides is a key research area.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the impact of cathode material morphology on lithium-ion diffusion and structural stability.
• To synthesize and compare columnar polyhedron and thin plate cathode morphologies.

Main Methods:

• Finite element analysis simulations to model ion concentration and stress.
• Coprecipitation method to synthesize columnar polyhedron and thin plate particles.
• Electrochemical cycling and advanced microscopy (STEM-HAADF, GPA) for characterization.

Main Results:

• Thin plate particles with fewer active planes showed uneven Li+ distribution and stress accumulation.
• Columnar polyhedron particles, with a higher proportion of active planes, exhibited enhanced Li+ diffusion kinetics.
• The columnar polyhedron morphology demonstrated superior cycling stability with 88.3% capacity retention after 200 cycles.

Conclusions:

• Material morphology significantly influences electrochemical properties, particularly Li+ diffusion and structural integrity.
• A higher proportion of active planes in cathode materials leads to improved performance and stability.
• Further optimization of cathode morphology is crucial for advancing battery technology.