Materials that undergo a
conversion reaction with
lithium (e.g.,
metal fluorides MF(2): M = Fe, Cu, ...) often accommodate more than one Li atom per transition-
metal cation, and are promising candidates for high-capacity
cathodes for
lithium ion batteries. However, little is known about the mechanisms involved in the conversion process, the origins of the large polarization during electrochemical cycling, and why some materials are reversible (e.g., FeF(2)) while others are not (e.g., CuF(2)). In this study, we investigated the
conversion reaction of binary
metal fluorides, FeF(2) and CuF(2), using a series of local and bulk probes to better understand the mechanisms underlying their contrasting electrochemical behavior. X-ray pair-distribution-function and magnetization measurements were used to determine changes in short-range ordering, particle size and microstructure, while high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and electron energy-loss spectroscopy (EELS) were used to measure the atomic-level structure of individual particles and map the phase distribution in the initial and fully lithiated
electrodes. Both FeF(2) and CuF(2) react with
lithium via a direct conversion process with no intercalation step, but there are differences in the conversion process and final phase distribution. During the reaction of Li(+) with FeF(2), small metallic
iron nanoparticles (<5 nm in diameter) nucleate in close proximity to the converted LiF phase, as a result of the low diffusivity of
iron. The
iron nanoparticles are interconnected and form a bicontinuous network, which provides a pathway for local electron transport through the insulating LiF phase. In addition, the massive interface formed between nanoscale solid phases provides a pathway for ionic transport during the conversion process. These results offer the first experimental evidence explaining the origins of the high
lithium reversibility in FeF(2). In contrast to FeF(2), no continuous Cu network was observed in the lithiated CuF(2); rather, the converted Cu segregates to large particles (5-12 nm in diameter) during the first discharge, which may be partially responsible for the lack of reversibility in the CuF(2)
electrode.