Impact of Aqueous and Acidic Treatment on Li-Transition Metal Oxides

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Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) have become an essential part of our mobile society and are considered key for the successful transition to renewable energy sources. Following this tremendous success and industrial need most research activities towards LIBs is rather applied, trying to overcome the existing and remaining challenges. One of these challenges is the employment of water as “green” electrode processing solvent for the cathode, since state-of-the-art cathode materials are highly sensitive towards water and moisture. Accordingly, a large number of scientists and engineers worldwide is trying to address this challenge by developing new binders, additives, and protective coatings. A fundamental investigation of this key challenge towards an environmentally-friendly cathode fabrication procedure, however, has not been attempted so far to the best of our knowledge.Within H2O-LiMO we will address this issue and conduct an in-depth investigation of lithium transition metal oxides – in particular, LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4 (LNMO) as cobalt-free high-energy cathode – exposed to water using a comprehensive set of highly complementary and excellently suited experimental techniques – high-resolution electron microscopy, coupled with selected area electron diffraction, (valence) electron energy loss spectroscopy, and electrochemistry, i.e., the key competencies of the two partners at Ulm University and at the Helmholtz Institute Ulm, respetively. The established understanding of the processes occurring at the particle surface will then allow us also to provide a fundamental explanation for the successfully applied addition of mild (inorganic) acids to protect the LNMO surface, thus, ideally paving the way for an improved sustainability of this important technology.