Hsien-Chieh Chiu

New insight into the atomic-scale bulk and surface structure evolution of Li4Ti5O12 anode.

Identifying the structure of electrodes at atomic-scale remains a key challenge but is a fertile realm for groundbreaking fundamental research in the advanced Li-ion battery material field. In this context, the subtle structure evolution taking place during lithiation/delithiation in the bulk/surface of Li(4)Ti(5)O(12) spinel (LTO) was probed using scanning transmission electron microscopy and found to undergo significant structure torque, namely Ti-O bond stretching/shrinking at different state-of-charge (SOC), which is not identified previously. This kind of nanostructure change plays an important role in facilitating the formation of capturing centers for the electron/hole pairs in a 3.80 eV insulating material as is LTO. Furthermore, with the aid of electron energy loss spectroscopy, the spontaneous charge transfer process, Ti(3+) ↔ e(-) + Ti(4+), was confirmed in the fully lithiated Li(7)Ti(5)O(12) surface as an essential step of the gas-releasing phenomenon. This new insight paves the way toward deeper comprehension and ultimately control of the electrochemical process for this and other important Li-ion battery materials.

Rate-dependent phase transitions in Li2FeSiO4 cathode nanocrystals

Nanostructured lithium metal orthosilicate materials hold a lot of promise as next generation cathodes but their full potential realization is hampered by complex crystal and electrochemical behavior. In this work Li2FeSiO4 crystals are synthesized using organic-assisted precipitation method. By varying the annealing temperature different structures are obtained, namely the monoclinic phase at 400°C, the orthorhombic phase at 900°C, and a mixed phase at 700°C. The three Li2FeSiO4 crystal phases exhibit totally different charge/discharge profiles upon delithiation/lithiation. Thus the 400°C monoclinic nanocrystals exhibit initially one Li extraction via typical solid solution reaction, while the 900°C orthorhombic crystals are characterized by unacceptably high cell polarization. In the meantime the mixed phase Li2FeSiO4 crystals reveal a mixed cycling profile. We have found that the monoclinic nanocrystals undergo phase transition to orthorhombic structure resulting in significant progressive deterioration of the materials Li storage capability. By contrast, we discovered when the monoclinic nanocrystals are cycled initially at higher rate (C/20) and subsequently subjected to low rate (C/50) cycling the materials intercalation performance is stabilized. The discovered rate-dependent electrochemically-induced phase transition and stabilization of lithium metal silicate structure provides a novel and potentially rewarding avenue towards the development of high capacity Li-ion cathodes.

In situ XANES & XRD Study of interphasial reaction between uncharged Li2FeSiO4 cathode and LiPF6-based electrolyte

In situ synchrotron radiation XANES and XRD have been carried out on Li2FeSiO4 cathode material in a lithium-ion-battery (LIB) cell. The evolution of the long range lattice structure and the local iron oxidation state has been observed at a charging rate of C/20 for the formation cycle for one Lithium extraction; additional ex situ measurements of the pristine cathode material were taken for comparison. The observed spontaneous interaction between the cathode and the fluorinated electrolyte and the impact of subsequent cycling are discussed.