Effects of Chemical versus Electrochemical Delithiation on the Oxygen Evolution Reaction Activity of Nickel-Rich Layered LiMO2

Nickel-rich layered LiMO2 (M = transition metal) oxides doped with iron exhibit high oxygen evolution reaction (OER) activity in alkaline electrolytes. The LiMO2 oxides offer the possibility of investigating the influence of the number of d electrons on OER by tuning the oxidation state of M via chemical or electrochemical delithiation. Accordingly, we investigate here the electrocatalytic behavior of LiNi0.7Co0.3O2 and LiNi0.7Co0.2Fe0.1O2 before and after chemical delithiation. In addition to varying the oxidation state of the transition-metal ions, we find that chemical delithiation also affects the local chemical environment and morphology. The electrochemical response differs depending on whether the delithiation occurred ex situ chemically or in situ during the electrocatalysis. The results point to the important role of in situ transformation in LiMO2 in alkaline electrolytes during electrocatalytic cycling.