Insights into Structure-Property Relationships at the Atomic Scale in Electrode Materials for Lithium-Ion Batteries

Lithium ion batteries are very important and common components in many portable devices, electric vehicles, and smart grids, due to their high energy density, excellent cycle performance, and safe operation. However, further development of electrode materials for these batteries is needed to satisfy fast increasing performance demand. Typically, both kinetics and stability of these electrode materials depend on the transport and storage properties of the lithium-ion. High spatial resolution information of any structural changes and the strong interaction between electrons and ions are essential for better understanding of the electrochemical performance of rechargeable batteries. In this paper, we review the known structural changes, on an atomic scale, of these electrode materials during the charging/discharging process, taking into account also the interaction between ions and electrons. Expected final online publication date for the Annual Review of Materials Research Volume 47 is July 1, 2017. Please ...