First-principles studies of Mn-doped LiCoPO4

This paper investigates Mn-doped LiCoPO4 material using first-principles calculations. Results indicate that the volume change of LiMnxCo1-xPO4 to MnxCo1-xPO4 is smaller than that of undoped LiCoPO4 , which is responsible for the excellent tolerance of repeated cycling in lithium ion batteries. Combining first-principles calculations with basic thermodynamics, we calculate the average intercalation voltage of Mn-doped LiCoPO4. It is shown that the redox couple Mn3+/Mn2+ can be observed with increasing Mn content. Therefore, the Mn ion displays some electrochemical activity during discharge/charge of LiMnxCo1-xPO4 due to the coexistence of Co and Mn