Electrochemical Modeling and Performance of a Lithium- and Manganese-Rich Layered Transition-Metal Oxide Positive Electrode

The impedance of a lithium- and manganese-rich layered transition-metal oxide (MR-NMC) positive electrode, specifically Li1.2Ni0.15Mn0.55Co0.1O2, is compared to two other transition-metal layered oxide materials, specifically LiNi0.8Co0.15Al0.05O2 (NCA) and Li-1.05(Ni1/3Co1/3Mn1/3)(0.95)O-2 (NMC). A more detailed electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) study is conducted on the LMR-NMC electrode, which includes a range of states-of-charge (SOCs) for both current directions (i.e. charge and discharge) and two relaxation times (i.e. hours and one hundred hours) before the EIS sweep. The LMR-NMC electrode EIS studies are supported by half-cell constant current and galvanostatic intermittent titration technique (GITT) studies. Two types of electrochemical models are utilized to examine the results. The first type is a lithium ion cell electrochemical model for intercalation active material electrodes that includes a complex active material/electrolyte interfacial structure. The other is a lithium ion half-cell electrochemical model that focuses on the unique composite structure of the bulk LMR-NMC materials. (C) 2015 The Electrochemical Society. All rights reserved.