Structural and chemical evolution in layered oxide cathodes of lithium-ion batteries revealed by synchrotron techniques

Guannan Qian; Junyang Wang; Hong Li; Zi-Feng Ma; Piero Pianetta; Linsen Li; Xiqian Yu; Yijin Liu

doi:10.1093/nsr/nwab146

Structural and chemical evolution in layered oxide cathodes of lithium-ion batteries revealed by synchrotron techniques

Natl Sci Rev. 2021 Aug 17;9(2):nwab146. doi: 10.1093/nsr/nwab146. eCollection 2022 Feb.

Authors

Guannan Qian¹, Junyang Wang¹, Hong Li², Zi-Feng Ma³, Piero Pianetta¹, Linsen Li³, Xiqian Yu², Yijin Liu¹

Affiliations

¹ Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, CA 94025, USA.
² Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Materials Genome Engineering, Key Laboratory for Renewable Energy, Beijing Key Laboratory for New Energy Materials and Devices, Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China.
³ Department of Chemical Engineering, Shanghai Electrochemical Energy Device Research Center (SEED), School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Frontiers Science Center for Transformative Molecules, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China.

Abstract

Rechargeable battery technologies have revolutionized electronics, transportation and grid energy storage. Many materials are being researched for battery applications, with layered transition metal oxides (LTMO) the dominating cathode candidate with remarkable electrochemical performance. Yet, daunting challenges persist in the quest for further battery developments targeting lower cost, longer lifespan, improved energy density and enhanced safety. This is, in part, because of the intrinsic complexity of real-world batteries, featuring sophisticated interplay among microstructural, compositional and chemical heterogeneities, which has motivated tremendous research efforts using state-of-the-art analytical techniques. In this research field, synchrotron techniques have been identified as a suite of effective methods for advanced battery characterization in a non-destructive manner with sensitivities to the lattice, electronic and morphological structures. This article provides a holistic overview of cutting-edge developments in synchrotron-based research on LTMO battery cathode materials. We discuss the complexity and evolution of LTMO's material properties upon battery operation and review recent synchrotron-based research works that address the frontier challenges and provide novel insights in this field. Finally, we formulate a perspective on future directions of synchrotron-based battery research, involving next-generation X-ray facilities and advanced computational developments.

Keywords: bulk; electro-chemo-mechanical interplay; layered battery cathode; surface; synchrotron.