PhD Researcher Visits Loughborough for Advanced NMC Particle Analysis

PhD researcher James Nohl, funded by the Faraday Institution, recently visited the Loughborough University to utilise their plasma FIB (Focused Ion Beam) facility. This visit was a significant step in his research on characterising cathode materials, specifically NMC811, in both pristine and charge-cycled conditions.

James is employing Secondary Electron Hyperspectral Imaging (SEHI), a sophisticated LV-SEM (Low Voltage Scanning Electron Microscopy) technique. SEHI is pivotal in his research as it provides detailed surface chemical bonding information. This data is crucial for understanding the mechanisms behind the loss of reversible capacity in NMC811 with increasing charge-discharge cycles.

By cross-sectioning NMC particles using the plasma FIB, James aims to gain deeper insights into the structural and compositional changes that occur during battery operation. This knowledge could lead to improvements in the performance and longevity of lithium-ion batteries, addressing one of the critical challenges in the field of energy storage.