Magnetic and structural approach for understanding the electrochemical behavior of LiNi0.33Co0.33Mn0.33O2 positive electrode material

Abstract A systematic study has been performed to investigate the structural and magnetic changes in LiNi 0.33 Mn 0.33 Co 0.33 O 2 , a member of the LiNi y Mn y Co 1–2 y O 2 series, upon chemical lithium deintercalation. Structural characterization of the chemically delithiated Li x Ni 0.33 Mn 0.33 Co 0.33 O 2 samples indicates that the initial rhombohedral symmetry (α-NaFeO 2 type structure) is maintained in the whole 0.3 ≤  x  ≤ 1.0 composition range. Less than 1% variation in the hexagonal unit cell volume was evidenced showing a good structural stability of this sample. SEM pictures of the delithiated phases confirm this stability. Indeed, the particle size average undergoes a small dec…