Electrochemically Induced Phase Evolution of Lithium Vanadium Oxide: Complementary Insights Gained via Ex-Situ, In-Situ, and Operando Experiments and Density Functional Theory

Understanding the structural evolution of electrode material during electrochemical activity is important to elucidate the mechanism of (de)lithiation, and improve the electrochemical function based on the material properties. In this study, lithium vanadium oxide (LVO, LiV3O8) was investigated using ex-situ, in-situ, and operando experiments. Via a combination of in-situ X-ray diffraction (XRD) and density functional theory results, a reversible structural evolution during lithiation was revealed: from Li poor α phase (LiV3O8) to Li rich α phase (Li2.5V3O8) and finally β phase (Li4V3O8). In-situ and operando energy dispersive X-ray diffraction (EDXRD) provided tomographic information to visualize the spatial location of the phase evolution within the LVO electrode while inside a sealed lithium ion battery.