Role of Superexchange Interaction on Tuning of Ni/Li Disordering in Layered Li(NixMnyCoz)O2.

Ni/Li exchange (disordering) usually happens in layered Li(NixMnyCoz)O2 (NMC) materials and affects the performance of the material in lithium-ion batteries. Most of previous studies attributed this phenomenon to the similar size of Ni2+ and Li+, which implies that Ni2+ should be more favorable than Ni3+ to be located at Li 3b sites in the Li slab. However, this theory cannot explain why in Ni-rich NMC materials where most Ni cations are Ni3+, Ni/Li exchange happens even more frequently. Using extensive ab initio calculations combined with experiments, here we report that a superexchange interaction between transition metals plays a dominating role in tuning the Ni/Li disordering in NMC materials. Under this scheme, we also propose a new charge compensation mechanism that describes that after Ni3+/Li exchange the nearest Co3+ transforms to Co4+ in Ni-rich NMC materials. On the basis of this theory, the existence of Co4+ in the initial Ni-rich NMC samples was predicted for the first time, which was further confirmed by our synchrotron-based soft X-ray absorption spectroscopy.