Topological defect dynamics in operando battery nanoparticles

TLDR

Dislocations influence the mechanical properties of battery materials during cycling. The study aims to explore whether controlled defect engineering can tune material properties in lithium‑ion batteries. The authors examined dislocation effects on a lithium‑ion battery nanoparticle during charge–discharge cycles. Dislocations altered the expansion and contraction behavior of the nanoparticle during cycling. Ulvestad et al., Science, p.

Abstract

Watching defects during battery cycling Dislocations affect the mechanical properties of a material. Ulvestad et al. studied the influence of dislocations on a nanoparticle undergoing charge and discharge cycles in a lithium ion battery. The defects influenced the way the material expanded and contracted during cycling. In the future, it may be possible to tune the properties of a material through controlled defect engineering. Science , this issue p. 1344