“We found that the electrolyte reacting with the cathode surface leads to the increased crack formation,” Manthiram said in the lab report.
The UT team reports that reversible cracking happens during battery operation. But, the electrolyte is working its way into those openings, removing oxygen from the cathode, and solidifying the cracks, per the UT report.
To help visualize the problem, the experts likened this process to a river eroding its banks. And, in their opinion, the electrolyte’s impact on the cathode’s surface is the main cause for the degradation.
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