To better understand these issues, researchers at Hanyang University in South Korea conducted a study examining how different levels of nickel in the cathode impact degradation.
They synthesized four different types of Ni-rich cathodes, with nickel content ranging from 80% to 95%, and analyzed their effects on battery performance.
“We quantified the capacity fading factors of Ni-rich Li[NixCoyAl1−x−y]O2 composite ASSB cathodes as functions of Ni content,” wrote Park, Lee, and their colleagues. “Surface degradation at the CAM–electrolyte interface was found to be the main cause of capacity fading in a CAM with 80% Ni content, whereas inner-particle isolation and detachment of the CAM from the electrolyte play a substantial role as the Ni content increases to 85% or more.”