Influence of Li-Ion Kinetics in the Cathodic Performance of Layered Li(Ni[sub 1/3]Co[sub 1/3]Mn[sub 1/3])O[sub 2]

Galvanostatic intermittent titration technique (GITT) at 25 and 50°C and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) at 25°C as a function of cell voltage and cycle number were performed on the layered oxide cathode, The Li-ion diffusion coefficient obtained for GITT was stable with a value of in the voltage range, 3.8–4.4 V vs. Li. The was higher by an order of magnitude than the in the above voltage range. A minimum in the vs. voltage curve was observed at ∼3.7 V coinciding with the voltage-plateau region in the charge-discharge cycling curves, indicating a possible reversible structural phase transition or order-disorder transition in the compound. EIS studies as a function of cycle number show that the surface film and the bulk contribution to the cell resistances remain stable with cycling. The proportional increase in charge-transfer resistance with cycling observed when charged to 50 mAh/g (∼3.7 V) and charged to 4.4 V of the cell indicate the possible influence of phase transition on the charge-transfer kinetics. The variation of derived from GITT and EIS as a function of cell voltage and with the cycle number and the kinetic parameters obtained from the impedance plots were correlated with the electrochemical performance. © 2004 The Electrochemical Society. All rights reserved.