Dislocation-induced stop-and-go kinetics of interfacial transformations.

Most engineering materials are based on multiphase microstructures produced either through the control of phase equilibria or by the fabrication of different materials as in thin-film processing. In both processes, the microstructure relaxes towards equilibrium by mismatch dislocations (or geometric misfit dislocations) across the heterophase interfaces1-5. Despite their ubiquitous presence, directly probing the dynamic action of mismatch dislocations has been unachievable owing to their buried nature. Here, using the interfacial transformation of copper oxide to copper as an example, we demonstrate the role of mismatch dislocations in modulating oxide-to-metal interfacial transformations in an intermittent manner, by which the lateral flow of interfacial ledges is pinned at the core of mismatch dislocations until the dislocation climbs to the new oxide/metal interface location. Together with atomistic calculations, we identify that the pinning effect is associated with the non-local transport of metal atoms to fill vacancies at the dislocation core. These results provide mechanistic insight into solid-solid interfacial transformations and have substantial implications for utilizing structural defects at buried interfaces to modulate mass transport and transformation kinetics.

Dual-Site Doping in Transition Metal Oxide Cathode Enables High-Voltage Stability of Na-Ion Batteries.

Designing cathode materials that effectively enhancing structural stability under high voltage is paramount for rationally enhancing energy density and safety of Na-ion batteries. This study introduces a novel P2-Na0.73K0.03Ni0.23Li0.1Mn0.67O2 (KLi-NaNMO) cathode through dual-site synergistic doping of K and Li in Na and transition metal (TM) layers. Combining theoretical and experimental studies, this study discovers that Li doping significantly strengthens the orbital overlap of Ni (3d) and O (2p) near the Fermi level, thereby regulates the phase transition and charge compensation processes with synchronized Ni and O redox. The introduction of K further adjusts the ratio of Nae and Naf sites at Na layer with enhanced structural stability and extended lattice space distance, enabling the suppression of TM dissolution, achieving a single-phase transition reaction even at a high voltage of 4.4 V, and improving reaction kinetics. Consequently, KLi-NaNMO exhibits a high capacity (105 and 120 mAh g-1 in the voltage of 2-4.2 V and 2-4.4 V at 0.1 C, respectively) and outstanding cycling performance over 300 cycles under 4.2 and 4.4 V. This work provides a dual-site doping strategy to employ synchronized TM and O redox with improved capacity and high structural stability via electronic and crystal structure modulation.

Ultra-thin and Mechanically Stable LiCoO2 -Electrolyte Interphase Enabled by Mg2+ Involved Electrolyte.

LiCoO2 (LCO) cathode materials have attracted significant attention for its potential to provide higher energy density in current Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). However, the structure and performance degradation are exacerbated by increasing voltage due to the catastrophic reaction between the applied electrolyte and delithiated LCO. The present study focuses on the construction of physically and chemically robust Mg-integrated cathode-electrolyte interface (MCEI) to address this issue, by incorporating Magnesium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide (Mg[TFSI]2 ) as an electrolyte additive. During formation cycles, the strong MCEI is formed and maintained its 2 nm thickness throughout long-term cycling. Notably, Mg is detected not only in the robust MCEI, but also imbedded in the surface of the LCO lattice. As a result, the parasitic interfacial side reactions, surface phase reconstruction, particle cracking, Co dissolution and shuttling are considerably suppressed, resulting in long-term cycling stability of LCO up to 4.5 V. Therefore, benefit from the double protection of the strong MCEI, the Li||LCO coin cell and the Ah-level Graphite||LCO pouch cell exhibit high capacity retention by using Mg-electrolyte, which are 88.13% after 200 cycles and 90.4% after 300 cycles, respectively. This work provides a novel approach for the rational design of traditional electrolyte additives.

Effects of fluorinated solvents on electrolyte solvation structures and electrode/electrolyte interphases for lithium metal batteries.

Electrolyte is very critical to the performance of the high-voltage lithium (Li) metal battery (LMB), which is one of the most attractive candidates for the next-generation high-density energy-storage systems. Electrolyte formulation and structure determine the physical properties of the electrolytes and their interfacial chemistries on the electrode surfaces. Localized high-concentration electrolytes (LHCEs) outperform state-of-the-art carbonate electrolytes in many aspects in LMBs due to their unique solvation structures. Types of fluorinated cosolvents used in LHCEs are investigated here in searching for the most suitable diluent for high-concentration electrolytes (HCEs). Nonsolvating solvents (including fluorinated ethers, fluorinated borate, and fluorinated orthoformate) added in HCEs enable the formation of LHCEs with high-concentration solvation structures. However, low-solvating fluorinated carbonate will coordinate with Li+ ions and form a second solvation shell or a pseudo-LHCE which diminishes the benefits of LHCE. In addition, it is evident that the diluent has significant influence on the electrode/electrolyte interphases (EEIs) beyond retaining the high-concentration solvation structures. Diluent molecules surrounding the high-concentration clusters could accelerate or decelerate the anion decomposition through coparticipation of diluent decomposition in the EEI formation. The varied interphase features lead to significantly different battery performance. This study points out the importance of diluents and their synergetic effects with the conductive salt and the solvating solvent in designing LHCEs. These systematic comparisons and fundamental insights into LHCEs using different types of fluorinated solvents can guide further development of advanced electrolytes for high-voltage LMBs.

Role of inner solvation sheath within salt-solvent complexes in tailoring electrode/electrolyte interphases for lithium metal batteries.

Functional electrolyte is the key to stabilize the highly reductive lithium (Li) metal anode and the high-voltage cathode for long-life, high-energy-density rechargeable Li metal batteries (LMBs). However, fundamental mechanisms on the interactions between reactive electrodes and electrolytes are still not well understood. Recently localized high-concentration electrolytes (LHCEs) are emerging as a promising electrolyte design strategy for LMBs. Here, we use LHCEs as an ideal platform to investigate the fundamental correlation between the reactive characteristics of the inner solvation sheath on electrode surfaces due to their unique solvation structures. The effects of a series of LHCEs with model electrolyte solvents (carbonate, sulfone, phosphate, and ether) on the stability of high-voltage LMBs are systematically studied. The stabilities of electrodes in different LHCEs indicate the intrinsic synergistic effects between the salt and the solvent when they coexist on electrode surfaces. Experimental and theoretical analyses reveal an intriguing general rule that the strong interactions between the salt and the solvent in the inner solvation sheath promote their intermolecular proton/charge transfer reactions, which dictates the properties of the electrode/electrolyte interphases and thus the battery performances.

Assessing Long-Term Cycling Stability of Single-Crystal Versus Polycrystalline Nickel-Rich NCM in Pouch Cells with 6 mAh cm-2 Electrodes.

Lithium-ion batteries based on single-crystal LiNi1- x - y Cox Mny O2 (NCM, 1-x-y ≥ 0.6) cathode materials are gaining increasing attention due to their improved structural stability resulting in superior cycle life compared to batteries based on polycrystalline NCM. However, an in-depth understanding of the less pronounced degradation mechanism of single-crystal NCM is still lacking. Here, a detailed postmortem study is presented, comparing pouch cells with single-crystal versus polycrystalline LiNi0.60 Co0.20 Mn0.20 O2 (NCM622) cathodes after 1375 dis-/charge cycles against graphite anodes. The thickness of the cation-disordered layer forming in the near-surface region of the cathode particles does not differ significantly between single-crystal and polycrystalline particles, while cracking is pronounced for polycrystalline particles, but practically absent for single-crystal particles. Transition metal dissolution as quantified by time-of-flight mass spectrometry on the surface of the cycled graphite anode is much reduced for single-crystal NCM622. Similarly, CO2 gas evolution during the first two cycles as quantified by electrochemical mass spectrometry is much reduced for single-crystal NCM622. Benefitting from these advantages, graphite/single-crystal NMC622 pouch cells are demonstrated with a cathode areal capacity of 6 mAh cm-2 with an excellent capacity retention of 83% after 3000 cycles to 4.2 V, emphasizing the potential of single-crystalline NCM622 as cathode material for next-generation lithium-ion batteries.

Hidden Subsurface Reconstruction and Its Atomic Origins in Layered Oxide Cathodes.

Structural transformations near surfaces of solid-state materials underpin functional mechanisms of a broad range of applications including catalysis, memory, and energy storage. It has been a long-standing notion that the outermost free surfaces, accompanied by broken translational symmetry and altered atomic configurations, are usually the birthplace for structural transformations. Here, in a layered oxide cathode for Li-ion batteries, we for the first time observe the incipient state of the well-documented layered-to-spinel-like structural transformation, which is surprisingly initiated from the subsurface layer, rather than the very surface. Coupling atomic level scanning transmission electron microscopy imaging with electron energy loss spectroscopy, we discover that the reconstructed subsurfaces, featuring a mix of discrete patches of layered and spinel-like structures, are associated with selective atomic species partition and consequent nanoscale nonuniform composition gradient distribution at the subsurface. Our findings provide fundamental insights on atomic-scale mechanisms of structural transformation in layered cathodes.

Atomic origins of water-vapour-promoted alloy oxidation.

The presence of water vapour, intentional or unavoidable, is crucial to many materials applications, such as in steam generators, turbine engines, fuel cells, catalysts and corrosion1-4. Phenomenologically, water vapour has been noted to accelerate oxidation of metals and alloys5,6. However, the atomistic mechanisms behind such oxidation remain elusive. Through direct in situ atomic-scale transmission electron microscopy observations and density functional theory calculations, we reveal that water-vapour-enhanced oxidation of a nickel-chromium alloy is associated with proton-dissolution-promoted formation, migration, and clustering of both cation and anion vacancies. Protons derived from water dissociation can occupy interstitial positions in the oxide lattice, consequently lowering vacancy formation energy and decreasing the diffusion barrier of both cations and anions, which leads to enhanced oxidation in moist environments at elevated temperatures. This work provides insights into water-vapour-enhanced alloy oxidation and has significant implications in other material and chemical processes involving water vapour, such as corrosion, heterogeneous catalysis and ionic conduction.

Dislocation nucleation facilitated by atomic segregation.

Surface segregation-the enrichment of one element at the surface, relative to the bulk-is ubiquitous to multi-component materials. Using the example of a Cu-Au solid solution, we demonstrate that compositional variations induced by surface segregation are accompanied by misfit strain and the formation of dislocations in the subsurface region via a surface diffusion and trapping process. The resulting chemically ordered surface regions acts as an effective barrier that inhibits subsequent dislocation annihilation at free surfaces. Using dynamic, atomic-scale resolution electron microscopy observations and theory modelling, we show that the dislocations are highly active, and we delineate the specific atomic-scale mechanisms associated with their nucleation, glide, climb, and annihilation at elevated temperatures. These observations provide mechanistic detail of how dislocations nucleate and migrate at heterointerfaces in dissimilar-material systems.

Morphology of Thin-Film Nafion on Carbon as an Analogue of Fuel Cell Catalyst Layers.

Species transport in thin-film Nafion heavily influences proton-exchange membrane (PEMFC) performance, particularly in low-platinum-loaded cells. Literature suggests that phase-segregated nanostructures in hydrated Nafion thin films can reduce species mobility and increase transport losses in cathode catalyst layers. However, these structures have primarily been observed at silicon-Nafion interfaces rather than at more relevant material (e.g., Pt and carbon black) interfaces. In this work, we use neutron reflectometry and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy to investigate carbon-supported Nafion thin films. Measurements were taken in humidified environments for Nafion thin films (≈30-80 nm) on four different carbon substrates. Results show a variety of interfacial morphologies in carbon-supported Nafion. Differences in carbon samples' roughness, surface chemistry, and hydrophilicity suggest that thin-film Nafion phase segregation is impacted by multiple substrate characteristics. For instance, hydrophilic substrates with smooth surfaces correlate with a high likelihood of lamellar phase segregation parallel to the substrate. When present, the lamellar structures are less pronounced than those observed at silicon oxide interfaces. Local oscillations in water volume fraction for the lamellae were less severe, and the lamellae were thinner and were not observed when the water was removed, all in contrast to Nafion-silicon interfaces. For hydrophobic and rough samples, phase segregation was more isotropic rather than lamellar. Results suggest that Nafion in PEMFC catalyst layers is less influenced by the interface compared with thin films on silicon. Despite this, our results demonstrate that neutron reflectometry measurements of silicon-Nafion interfaces are valuable for PEMFC performance predictions, as water uptake in the majority Nafion layers (i.e., the uniformly hydrated region beyond the lamellar region) trends similarly with thickness, regardless of support material.

Enhancing the Structural Stability and Electrochemical Performance of High-Nickel Cathode Materials through Ti Doping with an Exothermic Non-oxide Precursor.

The foreseeable global cobalt (Co) crisis has driven the demand for cathode materials with less Co dependence, where high-nickel layered oxides are a promising solution due to their high energy density and low cost. However, these materials suffer from poor cycling stability and rapid voltage decay due to lattice displacement and nanostrain accumulation. Here, we introduced an exothermic TiN dopant via a scalable coating method to stabilize LiNi0.917Co0.056Mn0.026O2 (NCM92) materials. The exothermic reaction of TiN conversion generates extra heat during the calcination process on the cathode surface, promotes the lithiation process, and tunes the morphology of the cathode material, resulting in compact and conformal smaller particle sizes to provide better particle integration and lithium diffusion coefficient. Moreover, the Ti dopant substitutes the Ni3+ site to generate stronger Ti-O bonding, leading to higher structural stability and extended cycle life. The Ti-doped NCM (NCM92_TiN) shows a remarkable cycling stability of maintaining 80% capacity retention for 400 cycles, while bare NCM92 can only reach 88 cycles. Furthermore, the NCM92_TiN cathodes demonstrate an enhanced rate capability and achieve a discharge capacity of over 168 mAh g-1 at 5C.

Intercalating oleylamines in graphite oxide.

Graphite oxide has been synthesized from raw graphite particles and been treated with various mass amounts of oleylamine as intercalants to form intercalation compounds. X-ray diffraction patterns reveal that the inter-sheet distances strongly depend on the graphite oxide to oleylamine mass ratios. The equilibrium-like behavior implies diffusion-dominated oleylamine adsorption on graphite oxide in solution and excluded volume intercalations among oleylamine-adsorbed graphite oxide during restacking. The intercalation compounds are soluble in organic solvents, and their applications in the fabrication of transparent and conductive coatings have been demonstrated.

Nonsacrificial Additive for Tuning the Cathode-Electrolyte Interphase of Lithium-Ion Batteries.

Solid-electrolyte interphases is essential for stable cycling of rechargeable batteries. The traditional approach for interphase design follows the decomposition of additives prior to the host electrolyte, which, as governed by the thermodynamic rule, however, inherently limits the viable additives. Here we report an alternative approach of using a nonsacrificial additive. This is exemplified by the localized high-concentration electrolytes, where the fluoroethylene carbonate (FEC) plays a nonsacrificial role for modifying the chemistry, structure, and formation mechanism of the cathode-electrolyte interphase (CEI) layers toward enhanced cycling stability. On the basis of ab initio molecular dynamics simulations, we further reveal that the unexpected activation of the otherwise inert species in the interphase formation is due to the FEC-Li+ coordinated environment that altered the electronic states of reactants. The nonsacrificial additive on CEI formation opens up alternative avenues for the interphase design through the use of the commonly overlooked, anodically stable compounds.

Interfacial-engineering-enabled practical low-temperature sodium metal battery.

Solid-state sodium (Na) batteries have received extensive attention as a promising alternative to room-temperature liquid electrolyte Na-ion batteries and high-temperature liquid electrode Na-S batteries because of safety concerns. However, the major issues for solid-state Na batteries are a high interfacial resistance between solid electrolytes and electrodes, and Na dendrite growth. Here we report that a yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ)-enhanced beta-alumina solid electrolyte (YSZ@BASE) has an extremely low interface impedance of 3.6 Ω cm2 with the Na metal anode at 80 °C, and also exhibits an extremely high critical current density of ~7.0 mA cm-2 compared with those of other Li- and Na-ion solid electrolytes reported so far. With a trace amount of eutectic NaFSI-KFSI molten salt at the electrolyte/cathode interface, a quasi-solid-state Na/YSZ@BASE/NaNi0.45Cu0.05Mn0.4Ti0.1O2 full cell achieves a high capacity of 110 mAh g-1 with a Coulombic efficiency >99.99% and retains 73% of the cell capacity over 500 cycles at 4C and 80 °C. Extensive characterizations and theoretical calculations prove that the stable ß-NaAlO2-rich solid-electrolyte interphase and strong YSZ support matrix play a critical role in suppressing the Na dendrite as they maintain robust interfacial contacts, lower electronic conduction and prevent the continual reduction of BASE through oxygen-ion compensation.

Hybrid nanostructure heterojunction solar cells fabricated using vertically aligned ZnO nanotubes grown on reduced graphene oxide.

Using reduced graphene oxide (rGO) films as the transparent conductive coating, inorganic/organic hybrid nanostructure heterojunction photovoltaic devices have been fabricated through hydrothermal synthesis of vertically aligned ZnO nanorods (ZnO-NRs) and nanotubes (ZnO-NTs) on rGO films followed by the spin casting of a poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) film. The data show that larger interfacial area in ZnO-NT/P3HT composites improves the exciton dissociation and the higher electrode conductance of rGO films helps the power output. This study offers an alternative to manufacturing nanostructure heterojunction solar cells at low temperatures using potentially low cost materials.

Toward the Practical Use of Cobalt-Free Lithium-Ion Batteries by an Advanced Ether-Based Electrolyte.

The criticality of cobalt (Co) has been motivating the quest for Co-free positive electrode materials for building lithium (Li)-ion batteries (LIBs). However, the LIBs based on Co-free positive electrode materials usually suffer from relatively fast capacity decay when coupled with conventional LiPF6-organocarbonate electrolytes. To address this issue, a 1,2-dimethoxyethane-based localized high-concentration electrolyte (LHCE) was developed and evaluated in a Co-free Li-ion cell chemistry (graphite||LiNi0.96Mg0.02Ti0.02O2). Extraordinary capacity retentions were achieved with the LHCE in coin cells (95.3%), single-layer pouch cells (79.4%), and high-capacity loading double-layer pouch cells (70.9%) after being operated within the voltage range of 2.5-4.4 V for 500 charge/discharge cycles. The capacity retentions of counterpart cells using the LiPF6-based conventional electrolyte only reached 61.1, 57.2, and 59.8%, respectively. Mechanistic studies reveal that the superior electrode/electrolyte interphases formed by the LHCE and the intrinsic chemical stability of the LHCE account for the excellent electrochemical performance in the Co-free Li-ion cells.

In situ inorganic conductive network formation in high-voltage single-crystal Ni-rich cathodes.

High nickel content in LiNixCoyMnzO2 (NCM, x ≥ 0.8, x + y + z = 1) layered cathode material allows high specific energy density in lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). However, Ni-rich NCM cathodes suffer from performance degradation, mechanical and structural instability upon prolonged cell cycling. Although the use of single-crystal Ni-rich NCM can mitigate these drawbacks, the ion-diffusion in large single-crystal particles hamper its rate capability. Herein, we report a strategy to construct an in situ Li1.4Y0.4Ti1.6(PO4)3 (LYTP) ion/electron conductive network which interconnects single-crystal LiNi0.88Co0.09Mn0.03O2 (SC-NCM88) particles. The LYTP network facilitates the lithium-ion transport between SC-NCM88 particles, mitigates mechanical instability and prevents detrimental crystalline phase transformation. When used in combination with a Li metal anode, the LYTP-containing SC-NCM88-based cathode enables a coin cell capacity of 130 mAh g-1 after 500 cycles at 5 C rate in the 2.75-4.4 V range at 25 °C. Tests in Li-ion pouch cell configuration (i.e., graphite used as negative electrode active material) demonstrate capacity retention of 85% after 1000 cycles at 0.5 C in the 2.75-4.4 V range at 25 °C for the LYTP-containing SC-NCM88-based positive electrode.

A Polymer-in-Salt Electrolyte with Enhanced Oxidative Stability for Lithium Metal Polymer Batteries.

The lithium (Li) metal polymer battery (LMPB) is a promising candidate for solid-state batteries with high safety. However, high voltage stability of such a battery has been hindered by the use of polyethylene oxide (PEO), which oxidizes at a potential lower than 4 V versus Li. Herein, we adopt the polymer-in-salt electrolyte (PISE) strategy to circumvent the disadvantage of the PEO-lithium bis(fluorosulfonyl)imide (LiFSI) system with EO/Li ≤ 8 through a dry ball-milling process to avoid the contamination of the residual solvent. The obtained solid-state PISEs exhibit distinctly different morphologies and coordination structures which lead to significant improvement in oxidative stability. P(EO)1LiFSI has a low melting temperature, a high ionic conductivity at 60 °C, and an oxidative stability of ∼4.5 V versus Li/Li+. With an effective interphase rich in inorganic species and a good stability of the hybrid polymer electrolyte toward Li metal, the LMPB constructed with Li||LiNi1/3Co1/3Mn1/3O2 can retain 74.4% of capacity after 186 cycles at 60 °C under the cutoff charge voltage of 4.3 V. The findings offer a promising pathway toward high-voltage stable polymer electrolytes for high-energy-density and safe LMPBs.

Designing Advanced In Situ Electrode/Electrolyte Interphases for Wide Temperature Operation of 4.5 V Li||LiCoO2 Batteries.

High-energy-density batteries with a LiCoO2 (LCO) cathode are of significant importance to the energy-storage market, especially for portable electronics. However, their development is greatly limited by the inferior performance under high voltages and challenging temperatures. Here, highly stable lithium (Li) metal batteries with LCO cathode, through the design of in situ formed, stable electrode/electrolyte interphases on both the Li anode and the LCO cathode, with an advanced electrolyte, are reported. The LCO cathode can deliver a high specific capacity of ≈190 mAh g-1 and show greatly improved cell performances under a high charge voltage of 4.5 V (even up to 4.55 V) and a wide temperature range from -30 to 55 °C. This work points out a promising approach for developing Li||LCO batteries for practical applications. This approach can also be used to improve the high-voltage performance of other batteries in a broad temperature range.

Unlocking the passivation nature of the cathode-air interfacial reactions in lithium ion batteries.

It is classically well perceived that cathode-air interfacial reactions, often instantaneous and thermodynamic non-equilibrium, will lead to the formation of interfacial layers, which subsequently, often vitally, control the behaviour and performance of batteries. However, understanding of the nature of cathode-air interfacial reactions remain elusive. Here, using atomic-resolution, time-resolved in-situ environmental transmission electron microscopy and atomistic simulation, we reveal that the cathode-water interfacial reactions can lead to the surface passivation, where the resultant conformal LiOH layers present a critical thickness beyond which the otherwise sustained interfacial reactions are arrested. We rationalize that the passivation behavior is dictated by the Li+-water interaction driven Li-ion de-intercalation, rather than a direct cathode-gas chemical reaction. Further, we show that a thin disordered rocksalt layer formed on the cathode surface can effectively mitigate the surface degradation by suppressing chemical delithiation. The established passivation paradigm opens new venues for the development of novel high-energy and high-stability cathodes.