Rechargeable lithium ion batteries are common materials in everyday applications. The most frequently used cathode material, LiCoO2, provides high energy density and stable charge/discharge performance. However, LiCoO2 is toxic and relatively expensive, therefore, other alternatives are being sought after in the development of battery materials, such as LiMn0.33Ni0.33Co0.33O2 (identified commonly as 333 compound). The 333 compound is now popular due to its comparable performance with LiCoO2, lower price, enhanced stability, and more environmentally friendly characteristics. In addition, Li1.2Mn0.54Ni0.13Co0.13O2 (HENMC) is still on the stage of testing and it attracts wide attention due to its higher rechargeable capacity and thermal stability. However, there are still challenges confronted: cycle stability and low rate capability. In order to verify all the roles played by different elements shown in NMC materials and explore the corresponding performance with different formula units, compositional analysis is needed. ICP-MS (inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry) can provide bulk compositional information and has been used in recent work, giving a general idea of the composition of NMC materials. However, compositional inhomogeneity analysis has usually been neglected in these studies. Therefore, the objective of this work was to explore this variation in composition locally with higher spatial resolution, at the NMC particle level. This work was carried out through the use of scanning electron microscopy – energy dispersive spectroscopy (SEM-EDS) and Auger electron spectroscopy (AES). Furthermore, nano-scale quantitative analysis was done with transmission electron microscopy – energy dispersive spectroscopy (TEM-EDS). Moreover, an optimal approach and procedure of compositional analysis by using EDS and AES was explored with proper standards and operation conditions to provide consistent and stable results. The optimal quantification method was applied to investigate the compositions of 333 compound before and after ball milling and HENMC specimen before and after cycling. The results support the structural changes and in turn the electrochemical performance of the battery material. In the 333 compound, the electrochemical performance of the battery was deteriorated due to ball milling, during which Zr was introduced and particles were more compact. In HENMC, during cycling, the Mn distribution was homogeneous at the beginning, then inhomogeneous and homogeneous again, supporting the hypothesis of the transformation of phases: formation of spinel phase and potential SEI layer. In-depth structural analysis of different NMC materials has been reported previously by other groups. However, the structural effects due to cycling, within particles still needs investigation. Therefore, X-ray diffraction (XRD) was used to investigate the bulk material crystalline structure. Local nano-scale level structural variations amongst different isolated primary particles were investigated by the electron diffraction pattern based on TEM. The 333 compound and HENMC cycling was examined before and after cycling. After cycling, in the 333 compound, the O1 phase domains with P-3m1 space group appear inside the O3 phase with R-3m lattice. With more cycling, more domains appear. For HENMC, the original pristine samples exhibit the rhombohedral and monoclinic phases. After cycling, more and more spinel phase appear. Finally, after 100 cycles, we observe evidence of the potential solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) formation. In all, all the results above support the phase changes of 333 compound and HENMC. More investigations are needed to understand the degradation process of both compounds. / Thesis / Master of Materials Science and Engineering (MMatSE)

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