The cooperative Jahn-Teller effect (CJTE) refers to the correlation of distortions arising from individual Jahn-Teller centres in complex compounds. The effect usually induces strong coupling between the static or dynamic charge, orbital and magnetic ordering, which has been related to many important phenomena such as colossal magnetoresistance and superconductivity. Here we report a Na5/8MnO2 superstructure with a pronounced static CJTE that is coupled to an unusual Na vacancy ordering. We visualize this coupled distortion and Na ordering down to the atomic scale. The Mn planes are periodically distorted by a charge modulation on the Mn stripes, which in turn drives an unusually large displacement of some Na ions through long-ranged Na-O-Mn(3+)-O-Na interactions into a highly distorted octahedral site. At lower temperatures, magnetic order appears, in which Mn atomic stripes with different magnetic couplings are interwoven with each other. Our work demonstrates the strong interaction between alkali ordering, displacement, and electronic and magnetic structure, and underlines the important role that structural details play in determining electronic behaviour.

O3 layered sodium transition metal oxides (i.e., NaMO2, M = Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni) are a promising class of cathode materials for Na-ion battery applications. These materials, however, all suffer from severe capacity decay when the extraction of Na exceeds certain capacity limits. Understanding the causes of this capacity decay is critical to unlocking the potential of these materials for battery applications. In this work, we investigate the structural origins of capacity decay for one of the compounds in this class, NaCrO2. The (de)­sodiation processes of NaCrO2 were studied both in situ and ex situ through X-ray and electron diffraction measurements. We demonstrate that Na x CrO2 (0 < x < 1) remains in the layered structural framework without Cr migration up to a composition of Na0.4CrO2. Further removal of Na beyond this composition triggers a layered-to-rock-salt transformation, which converts P′3-Na0.4CrO2 into the rock-salt CrO2 phase. This structural transformation proceeds via the formation of an intermediate O3 NaδCrO2 phase that contains Cr in both Na and Cr slabs and shares very similar lattice dimensions with those of rock-salt CrO2. It is intriguing to note that intercalation of alkaline ions (i.e., Na+ and Li+) into the rock-salt CrO2 and O3 NaδCrO2 structures is actually possible, albeit in a limited amount (∼0.2 per formula unit). When these results were analyzed under the context of electrochemistry data, it was apparent that preventing the layered-to-rock-salt transformation is crucial to improve the cyclability of NaCrO2. Possible strategies for mitigating this detrimental phase transition are proposed.

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Current state-of-the-art Na-ion battery cathodes are selected from the broad chemical space of layered first-row transition-metal (TM) oxides. Unlike their lithium-ion counterparts, seven first-row layered TM oxides can intercalate Na ions reversibly. Their voltage curves indicate significant and numerous reversible phase transformations during electrochemical cycling. These transformations are not yet fully understood but arise from Na-ion vacancy ordering and metal oxide slab glide. In this study, we investigate the nature of vacancy ordering within the O3 host lattice framework. We generate predicted electrochemical voltage curves for each of the Na-ion intercalating layered TM oxides by using a high-throughput framework of density-functional-theory calculations. We determine a set of vacancy-ordered phases appearing as ground states in all Na x MO 2 systems and investigate the energy effect of the stacking of adjacent layers.

O3 layered sodium transition metal oxides (i.e., NaMO2, M = Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co or Ni) are a promising class of cathode materials for Na-ion battery applications. These materials, however, all suffer from severe capacity decay when a large amount of Na is extracted from the hosts. Understanding the causes of this capacity decay is the key to fully unlock the potential of these materials for battery applications. In this work, we elaborate the capacity fading mechanism for one of the compounds in this class, i.e., NaCrO2. The (de)sodiation processes of NaCrO2 were first characterized by in situ XRD. Using a slow cycling rate (C/50), a phase diagram of NaxCrO2 close to thermodynamic equilibrium could be constructed. Ex situ synchrotron XRD and electron diffraction were then performed on samples that were charged to selected stages of charge. Through these and additional ab initio computation, we demonstrate that NaxCrO2 (0 < x < 1) remains in the layered structure framework without Cr migration up to a composition of Na0.4CrO2. Further removal of Na beyond this composition will trigger a layered to rock-salt transformation converting the P'3-Na0.4CrO2 to a rock-salt CrO­2 phase, which is responsible for the capacity fade of NaCrO2. This structural transformation proceeds via the formation of an intermediate O3-CrO2 phase that contains Cr in both Na and Cr slabs. It is intriguing to note that intercalation of alkaline ions (i.e., Na+ and Li+) into the rock-salt CrO2 is actually possible, albeit in a limited amount (~0.2 per formula). Preventing the layered to rock-salt transformation is of uttermost importance to improve the cyclibility of NaCrO2. Possible strategies for circumventing this detrimental phase transition will be proposed. We believe insights obtained in this work can be potentially applied to other O3 type of Na and Li transition metal oxides, and can serve as strong basis for future materials design of NaCrO2 based cathodes.