Operando X-ray and Postmortem Investigations of High-voltage Electrochemical Degradation in Single-crystalline-LiNiO2–Graphite Cells

Single-crystalline LiNiO2 (SC-LNO), a high-energy-density Li-ion cathode material, suffers from poor long-term electrochemical performance when cycled above 4.2 V (vs. Li+/Li). In this study, we evaluate this degradation using SC-LNO–graphite pouch cells electrochemically aged within a stressful voltage window (2.5–4.4 V) using a constant-current constant-voltage (CC-CV) protocol. Notable capacity fade was observed after one hundred cycles at C/3 rate, in addition to an increase in the overall electrochemical cell impedance. Operando X-ray diffraction data revealed that, despite no significant long-range bulk structural changes, (de-)lithiation of the aged SC-LNO becomes kinetically hindered after 100 cycles. Aging-induced changes in the short-range structure and charge compensation were evaluated through a multi-model quantitative analysis of the operando X-ray absorption spectroscopy data. While the electrochemical aging did not result in particle cracking, soft X-ray absorption spectroscopy data revealed the reconstruction of the cathode surface to a dense rock salt-like layer after long-term cycling, which acts as a kinetic trap for Li+ diffusion. Therefore, even under stressful conditions, deleterious surface reconstruction is the dominant factor that increases cell impedance and reduces Li+ mobility, which leads to the capacity fade. Cathode surface engineering will therefore be key to improving the long-term electrochemical performance of SC-LNO cathodes.