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Materials that undergo a conversion reaction with lithium (e.g., metal fluorides MF(2): M = Fe, Cu, ...) often accommodate more than one Li atom per transition-metal cation, and are promising candidates for high-capacity cathodes for lithium ion batteries. However, little is known about the mechanisms involved in the conversion process, the origins of the large polarization during electrochemical cycling, and why some materials are reversible (e.g., FeF(2)) while others are not (e.g., CuF(2)). In this study, we investigated the conversion reaction of binary metal fluorides, FeF(2) and CuF(2), using a series of local and bulk probes to better understand the mechanisms underlying their contrasting electrochemical behavior. X-ray pair-distribution-function and magnetization measurements were used to determine changes in short-range ordering, particle size and microstructure, while high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and electron energy-loss spectroscopy (EELS) were used to measure the atomic-level structure of individual particles and map the phase distribution in the initial and fully lithiated electrodes. Both FeF(2) and CuF(2) react with lithium via a direct conversion process with no intercalation step, but there are differences in the conversion process and final phase distribution. During the reaction of Li(+) with FeF(2), small metallic iron nanoparticles (<5 nm in diameter) nucleate in close proximity to the converted LiF phase, as a result of the low diffusivity of iron. The iron nanoparticles are interconnected and form a bicontinuous network, which provides a pathway for local electron transport through the insulating LiF phase. In addition, the massive interface formed between nanoscale solid phases provides a pathway for ionic transport during the conversion process. These results offer the first experimental evidence explaining the origins of the high lithium reversibility in FeF(2). In contrast to FeF(2), no continuous Cu network was observed in the lithiated CuF(2); rather, the converted Cu segregates to large particles (5-12 nm in diameter) during the first discharge, which may be partially responsible for the lack of reversibility in the CuF(2) electrode.

A study of the correlations between the stoichiometry, secondary phases and transition metal ordering of LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4 was undertaken by characterizing samples synthesized at different temperatures. Insight into the composition of the samples was obtained by electron microscopy, neutron diffraction and X-ray absorption spectroscopy. In turn, analysis of cationic ordering was performed by combining neutron diffraction with Li MAS NMR spectroscopy. Under the conditions chosen for the synthesis, all samples systematically showed an excess of Mn, which was compensated by the formation of a secondary rock salt phase and not via the creation of oxygen vacancies. Local deviations from the ideal 3:1 Mn:Ni ordering were found, even for samples that show the superlattice ordering by diffraction, with different disordered schemes also being possible. The magnetic behavior of the samples was correlated with the deviations from this ideal ordering arrangement. The in-depth crystal-chemical knowledge generated was employed to evaluate the influence of these parameters on the electrochemical behavior of the materials.

Iron phosphates (FePO(4)) are among the most promising candidate materials for advanced Li-ion battery cathodes. This work reports upon a combined nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) experimental and periodic density functional theory (DFT) computational study of the environments and electronic structures occurring in a range of paramagnetic Fe(III) phosphates comprising FePO(4) (heterosite), monoclinic Li(3)Fe(2)(PO(4))(3) (anti-NASICON A type), rhombohedral Li(3)Fe(2)(PO(4))(3) (NASICON B type), LiFeP(2)O(7), orthorhombic FePO(4)·2H(2)O (strengite), monoclinic FePO(4)·2H(2)O (phosphosiderite), and the dehydrated forms of the latter two phases. Many of these materials serve as model compounds relevant to battery chemistry. The (31)P spin-echo mapping and (7)Li magic angle spinning NMR techniques yield the hyperfine shifts of the species of interest, complemented by periodic hybrid functional DFT calculations of the respective hyperfine and quadrupolar tensors. A Curie-Weiss-based magnetic model scaling the DFT-calculated hyperfine parameters from the ferromagnetic into the experimentally relevant paramagnetic state is derived and applied, providing quantitative finite temperature values for each phase. The sensitivity of the hyperfine parameters to the composition of the DFT exchange functional is characterized by the application of hybrid Hamiltonians containing admixtures 0%, 20%, and 35% of Fock exchange. Good agreement between experimental and calculated values is obtained, provided that the residual magnetic couplings persisting in the paramagnetic state are included. The potential applications of a similar combined experimental and theoretical NMR approach to a wider range of cathode materials are discussed.

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The mixed transition metal layered compound, LiNi 0.4 Mn 0.4 Co 0.2 O 2 , with the a-NaFeO 2 layer structure has been synthesized and characterized. The optimum temperature of synthesis was found to be 800-900 uC. Rietveld refinement showed that cobalt suppresses transition metal ion migration into the Li sites whereas nickel promotes the migration. XPS analysis shows that the Co and about 20% of the Ni and Mn are in the 31 oxidation state, while 80% of the Ni and Mn are in the 21 and 41 oxidation states, respectively. LiNi 0.4 Mn 0.4 Co 0.2 O 2 shows Curie-Weiss paramagnetic behavior above 150 K, and the value of the Curie constant is consistent with the above oxidation states. In lithium electrochemical cells the composition LiNi 0.4 Mn 0.4 Co 0.2 O 2 gave the highest reversible capacity among the studied compositions. It shows excellent rate capability, giving reversible capacities ranging from 180 to 155 mA h g 21 at current densities from 0.1 to 2.0 mA cm 22 . 2 1 4 J . M a t e r . C h e m . , 2 0 0 4 , 1 4 , 2 1 4 -2 2 0 T h i s j o u r n a l i s ß T h e R o y a l S o c i e t y o f C h e m i s t r y 2 0 0 4 View Online 2 1 8 J . M a t e r . C h e m . , 2 0 0 4 , 1 4 , 2 1 4 -2 2 0

The mixed-metal phases, (Li2Mn1−y Fe y P2O7, 0 ≤ y ≤ 1), were synthesized using a “wet method”, and found to form a solid solution in the P21/a space group. Both thermogravimetric analysis and magnetic susceptibility measurements confirm the 2+ oxidation state for both the Mn and Fe. The electrochemical capacity improves as the Fe concentration increases, as do the intensities of the redox peaks of the cyclic voltammogram, indicating higher lithium-ion diffusivity in the iron phase. The two Li+ ions in the three-dimensional tunnel structure of the pyrophosphate phase allows for the cycling of more than one lithium per redox center. Cyclic voltammograms show a second oxidation peak at ∼5 V and ∼5.3 V, indicative of the extraction of the second lithium ion, in agreement with ab initio computation predictions. Thus, electrochemical capacities exceeding 200 Ah/kg may be achieved if a stable electrolyte is found.

Vanadium is shown to substitute for iron in the olivine LiFePO4 up to at least 10 mol %, when the synthesis is carried out at 550 °C. In the solid solution LiFe1–3y/2V y PO4, the a and b lattice parameters and cell volume decrease with increasing vanadium content, while the c lattice parameter increases slightly. However, when the synthesis is performed at 650 °C, a NASICON phase, Li3V2(PO4)3, is also formed, showing that solid solution is a function of the synthesis temperature. X-ray absorption near-edge structure indicates vanadium is in the 3+ oxidation state and in an octahedral environment. Magnetic studies reveal a shift of the antiferromagnetic ordering transition toward lower temperatures with increasing vanadium substitution, confirming solid solution formation. The addition of vanadium enhances the electrochemical performance of the materials especially at high current densities.