Synchrotron radiation based X-ray techniques for analysis of cathodes in Li rechargeable batteries.

Li-ion rechargeable batteries are promising systems for large-scale energy storage solutions. Understanding the electrochemical process in the cathodes of these batteries using suitable techniques is one of the crucial steps for developing them as next-generation energy storage devices. Due to the broad energy range, synchrotron X-ray techniques provide a better option for characterizing the cathodes compared to the conventional laboratory-scale characterization instruments. This work gives an overview of various synchrotron radiation techniques for analyzing cathodes of Li-rechargeable batteries by depicting instrumental details of X-ray diffraction, X-ray absorption spectroscopy, X-ray imaging, and X-ray near-edge fine structure-imaging. Analysis and simulation procedures to get appropriate information of structural order, local electronic/atomic structure, chemical phase mapping and pores in cathodes are discussed by taking examples of various cathode materials. Applications of these synchrotron techniques are also explored to investigate oxidation state, metal-oxygen hybridization, quantitative local atomic structure, Ni oxidation phase and pore distribution in Ni-rich layered oxide cathodes.

Addressing the High-Voltage Structural and Electrochemical Instability of Ni-Containing Layered Transition Metal (TM) Oxide Cathodes by "Blocking" the "TM-Migration" Pathway in the Lattice.

"Layered"/"cation-ordered"/O3-type Li-TM-oxides (TM: transition metal) suffer from structural instability due to "TM migration" from the TM layer to the Li layer upon Li removal (viz., "cation disordering"). This phenomenon gets exacerbated upon excessive Li removal, with Ni ions being particularly prone to migration. When used as cathode material in Li-ion batteries, the "TM migration" and associated structural changes cause rapid impedance buildup and capacity fade, thus limiting the cell voltages to ≤4.3 V for stable operation and lowering the usable Li-storage capacity (concomitantly, energy density). Looking closely at the "TM migration" pathway, one realizes that the tetrahedral site (t-site) of the Li layer forms an intermediate site. Accordingly, the present work explores a new idea concerning suppression of "Ni migration" by "blocking" the intermediate crystallographic site (viz., the t-site) with a dopant, which is the most stable at that site. In this regard, density functional theory (DFT)-based simulations indicate that the concerned t-site is energetically the most preferred and stable site for d10 Zn2+. Detailed analysis of crystallographic data (including bond valence sum) obtained with the as-prepared Zn-doped Li-NMC supports the same. Furthermore, the simulations also predict that Zn doping is likely to suppress "Ni migration" upon Li removal. Supporting these predictions, galvanostatic delithiation/lithiation studies with Zn-doped and undoped Li-NMCs demonstrate significantly improved cyclic stability, near-complete suppression of "cation mixing", and negligible buildup of impedance (as well as potential hysteresis) for the former, even upon being subjected to long-term cycling using a high upper cut-off potential of 4.7 V (vs Li/Li+). Accordingly, such subtle tuning of the composition and structure, in the light of electronic configuration of the dopant and specific crystallographic site occupancy, is likely to pave the way toward the development of Ni-containing stable high voltage O3-type Li-TM-oxide cathodes for the next-generation Li-ion batteries.

Syntheses and Characterization of AM2V2O11 (A = Ba, Sr, Pb; M = Nb, Ta) Vanadates with Centrosymmetric and Noncentrosymmetric Structures.

Five isomorphous AM2V2O11 vanadates of niobium and tantalum, namely, BaNb2V2O11, BaTa2V2O11, SrNb2V2O11, SrTa2V2O11, and PbTa2V2O11, were prepared by solid-state reactions and structurally characterized by single-crystal and powder X-ray diffraction techniques. Barium and strontium compounds, respectively, have centrosymmetric and noncentrosymmetric types of layered structure, wherein [M2V2O11]2- anionic layers are interleaved with A2+ cations. Both types of layered structure are found for lead compound. The strontium and lead compounds are type I phase-matching materials with second-harmonic-generating efficiencies of 33-50% of LiNbO3, and their dielectric properties were evaluated. A three-dimensional structural variant was also identified for strontium compounds, which crystallize in noncentrosymmetric orthorhombic space group C2221.

Synthesis and structural characterization of AMV2O8 (A = K, Rb, Tl, Cs; M = Nb, Ta) vanadates: a structural comparison of A(+)M(5+)V2O8 vanadates and A(+)M(5+)P2O8 phosphates.

Eight new quaternary vanadates of niobium and tantalum, AMV2O8 (A = K, Rb, Tl, Cs; M = Nb, Ta), have been prepared by solid state reactions and structurally characterized by single crystal and powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) techniques. The two cesium compounds, unlike the known CsSbV2O8 with a layered yavapaiite structure, have a new three-dimensional structure and the other six compounds possess the known KSbV2O8 structure type. The three types of [(MV2O8)(-)]∞ anionic frameworks of twelve A(+)M(5+)V2O8 (A = K, Rb, Tl, Cs; M = Nb, Ta, Sb) vanadates could be conceived to be built by different connectivity patterns of M2V4O18 ribbons, which contain MO6 octahedra and VO4 tetrahedra. A structural comparison of these twelve vanadates and the nineteen A(+)M(5+)P2O8 phosphates has been made. The spectroscopic studies of these eight new quaternary vanadates are presented.