A “Li-Eye” View of Diffusion Pathways in a 2D Intercalation Material from Topochemical Single-Crystal Transformation

We use single-crystal-to-single-crystal transformations to directly image with sub-angstrom resolution distortions of the host lattice, Li site occupancies, and diffusion pathways in a 2D metastable intercalation material. We capture atomistic descriptions of Li-ion diffusion pathways and reconstruct a Li-eye view of available interstitial sites through a 2D intercalation host to address a long-standing challenge in the design of cathode materials and pave the way to atom-precise structural modifications.