Direct Visualization of the Reversible O2- /O- Redox Process in Li-Rich Cathode Materials.

Conventional cathodes of Li-ion batteries mainly operate through an insertion-extraction process involving transition metal redox. These cathodes will not be able to meet the increasing requirements until lithium-rich layered oxides emerge with beyond-capacity performance. Nevertheless, in-depth understanding of the evolution of crystal and excess capacity delivered by Li-rich layered oxides is insufficient. Herein, various in situ technologies such as X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy are employed for a typical material Li1.2 Ni0.2 Mn0.6 O2 , directly visualizing O- O- (peroxo oxygen dimers) bonding mostly along the c-axis and demonstrating the reversible O2- /O- redox process. Additionally, the formation of the peroxo OO bond is calculated via density functional theory, and the corresponding OO bond length of ≈1.3 Å matches well with the in situ Raman results. These findings enrich the oxygen chemistry in layered oxides and open opportunities to design high-performance positive electrodes for lithium-ion batteries.