Communications of the ACM
Mapping Battery Materials With Atomic Precision
Atomic resolution scanning transmission electron microscopy images and electron diffraction patterns, arranged on a rendering of a battery, show how the structure of lithium-rich and manganese-rich transition metal oxides used inside battery cathodes chan
Credit: Berkeley Lab
Researchers from the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and their international colleagues have demonstrated how the ratio of materials that make up a lithium-ion battery electrode impacts its structure at the atomic level, and how the surface differs from the rest of the material.
The research is expected to advance future studies on cathode transformations and possibly to enable new battery materials.
The researchers demonstrated it was possible to optimize battery performance in relation to capacity by using a lower ratio of lithium to other metals.
The most unexpected finding was that the surface structure of an unused cathode is very different from the cathode's interior. A thin layer of material on the surface with a different structure was found in all of the experiments, while several previous studies had overlooked that this layer might be present on both new and used cathodes.
From Berkeley Lab News Center
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