Multiscale Characterization of Degradation Mechanism in LiFePO4 Battery Cathodes with Prolonged Electrochemical Cycling

The scope of the current research is to characterize aging mechanisms in LiFePO4 battery cathodes at the nanometer length scale. For this purpose, we wish to use Electron Energy Loss Spectroscopy (EELS) in the low loss regime in the Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM) to identify and quantify the phases formed in the cathode as the battery is discharged. The above phase identification and quantification process will be performed on an unaged cell and a matrix of aged cells, providing insight into the aging process in these cathodes at the proposed length scale.