6Li NMR Studies of Cation Disorder and Transition Metal Ordering in Li[Ni1/3Mn1/3Co1/3]O2 Using Ultrafast Magic Angle Spinning

Studies of Li[Ni1/3Mn1/3Co1/3]O2 prepared under six different conditions are compared using high-resolution solid-state 6Li NMR. Differing degrees of cation disorder are established via integration of the NMR resonances, and this quantification of cation disorder is compared with Rietveld refinements of powder X-ray and neutron diffraction studies. Chemical shift trends to high frequency with decreasing degrees of disorder are established among this family of samples and explained according to the orbital overlap experienced by Li nuclei in the two environments: within the lithium layers and exchanged with nickel into the transition metal layers. Finally, an interesting case of local transition metal charge ordering is observed. Three unique environments are described, which can be accounted for based on electroneutrality arguments, and the known clustering of Ni2+ and Mn4+. This effect has not been detected in these materials by other methods including neutron and X-ray diffraction. Thus, the local ordering, which is observed in the dominant NMR resonance of Li in its own layers is thought to be pervasive (affecting the majority of the NMR nuclei), but very local, so as to be seen only by techniques such as NMR which probe immediate neighborhoods.