Local degradation pathways in lithium-rich manganese–nickel–cobalt oxide epitaxial thin films

The electrochemical performance and microstructure of positive electrodes are intimately linked. As such, developing batteries resistance to capacity and voltage fade requires understanding these underlying structure–property relationships and their evolution with operation. Epitaxial films of a Li-rich manganese–nickel–cobalt oxide cathode material were deposited on (100)- and (111)-oriented SrRuO3/SrTiO3 substrates. Cyclic voltammetry and impedance spectroscopy tracked the response of these positive electrode materials, while the microstructure of the pristine and cycled films was characterized using transmission electron microscopy. Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy identifies compositional fluctuations in as-deposited films. Phase transformations and dissolution were observed after electrochemical testing. There is a correlation between both local composition and substrate orientation (i.e., surface faceting) and what degradation pathways are active. Regions with comparatively higher concentrations of Ni and Co were more resistant to dissolution and unfavorable phase transformations than those with relatively more Mn. As such, a global composition metric may not be an accurate predictor of degradation and performance. Rather possessing the synthetic ability to engineer the chemical profile as well as characterizing it, pose a challenge and opportunity.