Nanostructured Electrodes: The Role of Surface and Interface Energy on Phase Stability of Nanosized Insertion Compounds (Adv. Mater. 25–26/2009)

The cover shows three structures of the Li-ion battery electrode material LixFePO4 having two coexisting phases Li-rich: dark blue, Li-poor: light blue. The vertical decreasing dimension represents the downsizing of the particle size which leads to more similar Li-ion equilibrium concentrations in both phases, as indicated by the lower contrast between the blue shaded Li-ions. This result, reported by Marnix Wagemaker and co-workers on p. 2703, helps explain the changes in equilibrium properties in nanostructured insertion compounds such as Li-ion battery electrodes and H-storage materials.