Cation disordered rocksalt (DRX) oxides and oxyfluorides have emerged as a promising candidate for next-generation cathodes for lithium-ion batteries due to their high energy density. Their ability to perform well without cation ordering enables the use of low-cost, earth-abundant elements such as manganese and titanium. Their enhanced performance is due to the presence of percolating lithium rich clusters which enable facile lithium transport. Studies have shown that presence of cation short-range ordering (SRO) at length scales <10 Å dramatically impacts Li transport and electrochemical properties of DRX cathodes. However, developing synthesis routes to control short-range order, particle morphology, and optimize electrochemical performance remains a challenge. Keeping this in mind, the goal of this research is to develop alternate synthesis routes to prepare DRX oxyfluoride cathodes and study how different synthesis routes affect the particle morphology and cation SRO in Mn-Ti based DRX cathodes. This poster presentation will discuss recent developments in our team related to various synthesis routes and their effect on cathode particle properties, cation short-range ordering, and electrochemical performance of Mn-Ti based DRX cathodes.

Acknowledgements

This research was conducted at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, managed by UT Battelle, LLC, for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and is sponsored by the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) through the Vehicle Technologies Office (VTO).