Proof of intercrystallite ionic transport in LiMPO(4) electrodes (M = Fe, Mn).
Homogeneous-sized LiMPO(4) (M = Fe, Mn) nanorods and bulk particles were synthesized, and the thermodynamic characteristics of their mixtures as electrodes were analyzed to study the lithiation/delithiation mechanism for the general case of nanoparticles with a heterogeneous particle size distribution. We show that ionic transport occurs between nano and bulk particles in a cell at equilibrium, due to their electrochemical potential difference that originates from their different thermodynamic properties. This means that one phase in a single particle is preferred to two phases in a single particle during lithiation/delithiation of LiMPO(4) from the viewpoint of thermodynamics if the electrode is composed of differing particle sizes.
University of Waterloo, Department of Chemistry, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada N2L 3G1.
Kyu Tae
KT
Lee
Wang H
WH
Kan
Linda F
LF
Nazar