XAFS Study on Deterioration of Cathode Materials for Lithium-Ion Batteries

LiNi0.8CO0.15Al0.05O2, being one of the promising cathode materials for lithium-ion batteries, shows a distinct capacity fading after charge/discharge cycling and/or storage at high temperatures. The origin of these deteriorations has been explored by investigating the electronic and structural changes of the cathode material using X-ray absorption spectroscopy. Ni K-edge XAFS measurements were performed in two different modes: surface-sensitive conversion electron yield (CEY) mode and bulk-sensitive transmission mode. The Ni K-edge XANES showed that, after the cycle and aging tests, the Ni valences at the near-surface of the cathode particles became much lower than those in bulk. Whereas, the EXAFS showed that the bulk and surface-averaged Ni-O bond distances remained unchanged after the tests. These electronic and structural changes which occur prominently at near-surface are probably the main cause of the battery deterioration phenomenon