Implication of magnetic property on the degradation process of layered Ni-rich transition metal oxide cathode for high-capacity lithium-ion batteries

Layered LiNi0.8Mn0.1Co0.1O2 (NMC811) has received considerable attention as a high-energy density cathode for next generation lithium-ion batteries (LiBs). The charge compensation process underlying the achievement of high capacity is generally described by a two-stage redox reaction between Ni2+/Ni3+ and Ni3+/Ni4+. However, the increase of the Ni for the high battery capacity often leads to a significant degradation of the NMC811 material. In this study, the magnetic property of the NMC811 battery system has been compared at low (4.3 V) and high (4.7 V) cut-off voltages. There has been a notable drop in the magnetic moment from 2.33 μB (pristine) to 2.11 μB and 2.07 μB for the cathodes cycled at 4.3 V and 4.7 V, respectively. The amount of low-spin Ni4+ increased in the cathode material after the high voltage cycling. A density-functional theory (DFT) simulation has been adopted to further understand the discrepancy in the magnetic moment upon the different voltages. The local magnetic moment () of the transition metals are evaluated with different atomic environments including the Li/Ni exchange. Also, the corresponding density of states (DOS) are provided. It is shown that the electrochemical performance will significantly deteriorate when a high antiferromagnetic interaction occurs with the Li/Ni exchange.