February
Picture of the Month - February 2022
Li(Ni,Co,Mn)O2 thin film cathodes as model systems
Li(Ni,Co,Mn)O2-based cathodes usually suffer from parasitic side reactions in contact with the electrolyte, which reduces the performance of lithium-ion batteries. One way of protecting the cathode surface from the electrolyte is the deposition of an only a few nanometers thin coating. In order to elucidate the influence of a protective layer on the electrochemical properties of the cathode, Li(Ni,Co,Mn)O2-based thin films have been produced. Electrochemical characterizations show the positive effect of the coating on the cyclability of the thin-film cathodes. The thin layers facilitate the investigation of possible reaction products and structural changes of the surface due to cycling using surface-sensitive methods, such as atomic force microscopy (AFM) or X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). For more details: H. Hemmelmann, J. Dinter & M.T. Elm, Advanced Materials Interfaces 8, 2002074 (2021), https://doi.org/10.1002/admi.202002074
This picture was submitted by Dr. Matthias Elm.
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