Investigation of local structure in Ni3+-rich Li ion battery cathode materials

LiNi0.8Mn0.1Co0.1O2 (Li NMC 811), LiNi0.6Mn0.2Co0.2O2 (Li NMC 622) and LiNi0.8Co0.15Al0.05O2 (Li NCA) are next generation Li ion battery cathode materials where the main redox active ion is Jahn-Teller active Ni3+. A previous report on the parent material LiNiO2 indicated local ordering of the Ni3+ Jahn-Teller orbitals into trimers at low temperatures, however the impact of the local distortions of the Ni3+ Jahn-Teller orbital on the structure and the subsequent electrochemical performance of these Ni3+ rich materials remains an open question. We propose temperature dependent total scattering measurements on Li NMC 811, Li NMC 622 and Li NCA to investigate the local structure and evolution of the local Jahn-Teller ordering as a function of temperature.