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Failure Mechanism of LiNi0.6Co0.2Mn0.2O2 Cathodes in Aqueous/Non-Aqueous Hybrid Electrolytes

Tuesday, 31 May 2022
West Ballroom B/C/D (Vancouver Convention Center)
L. Du (MEET Battery Research Center, University of Münster), X. Hou (IEK-12, Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH), D. Berghus, R. Schmuch (MEET Battery Research Center, University of Münster), M. Winter (MEET Battery Research Center), J. Li (Politecnico di Milano), and T. Placke (MEET Battery Research Center, University of Münster)
The urgent need for higher energy density of aqueous Li-ion batteries (ALBs) cannot only be satisfied by electrolyte modifications, the utilization of layered oxide cathodes is another efficient strategy, and particularly Li[NixCoyMn1-x-y]O2 (NCM) materials are of high interest due to their high specific capacities. Concerning the H+-Li+ exchange side reaction of layered cathode in water solution, however, whether proton contamination degrades NCM-type cathodes in highly-concentrated aqueous electrolyte is an unclear but meaningful point. In this work, the underlying mechanisms responsible for degradation of NCM622 | aqueous/non-aqueous hybrid electrolyte |TiO2/LiTi2(PO4)3 (P/N=1.2:1) full-cells are explored by comprehensive studies involving in the evolution of electrochemical impendence and lattice structure changes after cycling within different operating voltage ranges. It is found that proton co-intercalation into the layered structure still takes place in high concentration aqueous/non-aqueous hybrid electrolytes, and the NCM622 cathode quickly shows degradation after being charged to higher cut-off voltage owing to severe protonation. The introduced proton can increase the diffusion barrier for Li+ ions, which in turn hinders lithiation of the de-lithiated cathode.