journal article·2026-01Open access

A formal FeIII/V redox couple in an intercalation electrode

Hari Ramachandran, Edward W. Mu, Eder G. Lomeli, Augustin Braun, Masato Goto, Kuan H. Hsu, Jue Liu, Zhelong Jiang, Kipil Lim, Grace M. Busse, Brian Moritz, Joshua J. Kas, John Vinson, John J. Rehr, Jungjin Park, Iwnetim I. Abate, Yuichi Shimakawa, Edward I. Solomon, Wanli Yang, William E. Gent, Thomas P. Devereaux, William C. Chueh

Nature Materials· Volume 25· Issue 1

Abstract

Iron redox cycling between low-valent oxidation states of FeII and FeIII drives crucial processes in nature. The FeII/III redox couple charge compensates the cycling of lithium iron phosphate, a positive electrode (cathode) for lithium-ion batteries. High-valent iron redox couples, involving formal oxidation higher than FeIII, could deliver higher electrochemical potentials and energy densities. However, because of the instability of high-valent Fe electrodes, they have proven difficult to probe and exploit in intercalation systems. Here we report and characterize a formal FeIII/V redox couple by revisiting the charge compensation mechanism of (de)lithiation in Li4FeSbO6. Valence-sensitive experimental and computational core-level spectroscopy reveal a direct transition from FeIII (3d5) to a negative-charge-transfer FeV (3d5L2) ground state on delithiation, without forming FeIV, or oxygen dimers. We identify that the cation ordering in Li4FeSbO6 drives a templated phase transition to stabilize the unique FeV species and demonstrate that disrupting cation ordering suppresses the FeIII/V redox couple. Exhibiting resistance to calendar aging, high operating potential and low voltage hysteresis, the FeIII/V redox couple in Li4FeSbO6 provides a framework for developing sustainable, Fe-based intercalation cathodes for high-voltage applications.
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Research context

OpenAlex topics: Electrocatalysts for Energy Conversion · Electrochemical Analysis and Applications · Electrochemical sensors and biosensors

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