%0 Journal Article
%A Wang Hay Kan
%A Biao Deng
%A Yahong Xu
%A Alpesh Khushalcha Shukla
%A Tao Bo
%A Shuo Zhang
%A Jin Liu
%A Piero Pianetta
%A Bao-Tian Wang
%A Yijin Liu
%A Guoying Chen
%B Chem
%D 2018
%G eng
%N 9
%P 2108 - 2123
%R 10.1016/j.chempr.2018.05.008
%T Understanding the Effect of Local Short-Range Ordering on Lithium Diffusion in Li<sub>1.3</sub>Nb<sub>0.3</sub>Mn<sub>0.4</sub>O<sub>2</sub> Single-Crystal Cathode
%V 4
%8 09/2018
%! Chem
%X <p><span>We report the observation of persistent chemical gradient on rock-salt Li</span><span>1.3</span><span>Nb</span><span>0.3</span><span>Mn</span><span>0.4</span><span>O</span><span>2</span><span>&nbsp;<a title="Learn more about Single Crystalline Solid from ScienceDirect's AI-generated Topic Pages" href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/chemistry/single-crystalline-solid">single crystals</a>&nbsp;transforming through a second-order reaction and reveal the dominating effect of local chemistry on Li diffusion within the percolated network. By using advanced 2D and 3D nanoscale X-ray spectro-microscopy on well-formed crystal samples, our study visualizes the mesoscale chemical distribution as a function of the state of charge at the subparticle level. We further reveal the presence of thermodynamically favorable short-range ordering of Nb-cation-only (Nb</span><span>6</span><span>) and Nb-cation-enriched (MnNb</span><span>5</span><span>) configurations, which promote&nbsp;<a title="Learn more about Nonequilibrium from ScienceDirect's AI-generated Topic Pages" href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/chemistry/nonequilibrium">non-equilibrium</a><span>&nbsp;diffusion pathways and the expansive chemical&nbsp;<a title="Learn more about Heterogeneity from ScienceDirect's AI-generated Topic Pages" href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/chemistry/heterogeneity">heterogeneity</a>&nbsp;observed on Li</span></span><span><em>x</em></span><span>Nb</span><span>0.3</span><span>Mn</span><span>0.4</span><span>O</span><span>2</span><span>&nbsp;particles. The present study utilizes large single crystals to eliminate the influence of kinetic factors such as&nbsp;<a title="Learn more about Particle Size Distribution from ScienceDirect's AI-generated Topic Pages" href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/chemistry/particle-size-distribution">particle-size distribution</a><span>, crystal facet, grain boundary, and strain, allowing us to clearly demonstrate the strong correlation between a material's structural defects and chemical propagation and its crucial impact on&nbsp;<a title="Learn more about Behavior as Electrode from ScienceDirect's AI-generated Topic Pages" href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/chemistry/behavior-as-electrode">electrode</a>&nbsp;performance and stability.</span></span></p>