Electron Microscopy Study of the Chemical and Structural Evolution of Lithium-Ion Battery Cathode Materials

Abstract

Layered lithium transition metal oxides represent a major type of cathode materials that are widely used in commercial lithium-ion batteries. Nevertheless, these layered cathode materials suffer structural changes during electrochemical cycling that could adversely affect the battery performance. Clear explanations of the cathode degradation process and its initiation, however, are still under debate and are not yet fully understood. In this thesis, the cycling-induced chemical and structural evolution of LiNi1/3Mn1/3Co1/3O2 (NMC) and high-energy Li1.2Ni0.13Mn0.54Co0.13O2 (HENMC) cathodes are investigated in details using state-of-the-art electron microscopy techniques combined with other bulk measurements to uncover the mechanisms at the source of cell deterioration.