Conversion Reactions and Redox Changes on the Surface of Lithium-Ion Battery Cathode Materials during Chemical Vapor Treatment for ALD

Abstract

Atomic layer deposition (ALD) has emerged as a promising technology for applying ultrathin protective coatings on lithium-ion battery (LIB) cathode surfaces to improve their cycling stability. While there have been numerous reports evaluating the electrochemical performance of these surface-modified cathode materials, the chemical changes induced on the surface of the cathode materials by the ALD coatings and the individual ALD precursors are not fully studied. We performed a systematic investigation to understand the interfacial changes of 12 different cathode materials upon coating with aluminum oxide (Al2O3) using trimethyl aluminum (TMA) and H2O, and aluminum fluoride (AlF3) using TMA and hydrogen fluoride pyridine (HFPy). We also explored the effects of the individual TMA and HFPy precursors on the cathode surfaces. The surface composition and microstructure of these cathode materials, which range from simple transition metal oxides (e.g., NiO and MnO) to complex multi-element cathode materials (e.g., LiNixMn1-x-yCoyO2, NMC), were studied via X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM). The XPS measurements reveal that the transition metals in the cathode materials undergo selective oxidation/reduction depending upon the nature of the precursor, the coating, and the cathode material. Furthermore, XPS and STEM measurements show the conversion of surface carbonate species to the corresponding metal fluorides upon HF exposure. This conversion reaction is self-limiting but extends hundreds of nanometers below the surface in the case of Li2CO3. ALD and chemical vapor treatment provide new avenues to systematically control the interface of the cathode materials in LIBs that are not possible by conventional coating methods.