Phase Transitions in the Spinel-Layered Li1+xNi0.5Mn1.5O4 (x=0, 0.5, 1) Cathodes upon (De)lithiation Studied with Operando Synchrotron X-ray Powder Diffraction

Spinel-layered Li1+xNi0.5Mn1.5O4 (x = 0, 0.5, 1) materials are considered as a cobalt-free alternative to currently used positive electrode (cathode) materials for Li-ion batteries. In this work, their electrochemical properties and corresponding phase transitions were studied by means of synchrotron X-ray powder diffraction (SXPD) in operando regime. Within the potential limit of 2.2-4.9 V vs. Li/Li+ LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4 with cubic spinel type structure demonstrates the capacity of 230 mAh center dot g(-1) associated with three first-order phase transitions with significant total volume change of 8.1%. The Li2Ni0.5Mn1.5O4 material exhibits similar capacity value and subsequence of the phase transitions of the spinel phase, although the fraction of the spinel-type phase in this material does not exceed 30 wt.%. The main component of Li2Ni0.5Mn1.5O4 is Li-rich layered oxide Li(Li0.28Mn0.64Ni0.08)O-2, which provides nearly half of the capacity with very small unit cell volume change of 0.7%. Lower mechanical stress associated with Li (de)intercalation provides better cycling stability of the spinel-layered complex materials and makes them more perspective for practical applications compared to the single-phase LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4 high-voltage cathode material.

Automated summary

The study demonstrates that spinel-layered Li1+xNi0.5Mn1.5O4 materials have similar capacity values and phase transition sequences to Li2Ni0.5Mn1.5O4 materials. Li2Ni0.5Mn1.5O4 is mainly composed of Li-rich layered oxide, providing better cycling stability compared to the single-phase LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4 high-voltage cathode material.