Oxygen-Vacancy Ordering at Surfaces of Lithium Manganese(III,IV) Oxide Spinel Nanoparticles

摘要

Cathode materials such as LiCoO2 and LiMn2O4 are the key components determining the performance of a lithium ion battery. The complicated microstructural changes and phase transitions taking place in these materials during the charge/ discharge cycle critically influence battery lifetime. Direct observation of light elements with atomic-level resolution is necessary to elucidate the rich phenomena related to their charge/discharge behavior and capacity fading. Here we report for the first time direct observation of Li and O atoms in nanoparticles of LiMn2O4 using a spherical aberration (C_s) corrected scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM).