Unveiling the mechanism of Jahn-Teller distortion and magnetic suppression in LiNiO2 during delithiation: Insights from electron redistributionShow others and affiliations
2026 (English)In: Journal of Physics and Chemistry of Solids, ISSN 0022-3697, E-ISSN 1879-2553, Vol. 212, article id 113536Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]
In this study, we employ ab initio density functional theory (DFT) calculations to elucidate the microscopic origin of the Jahn-Teller distortion suppression and magnetic moment quenching in LiNiO2 (LNO) during delithiation. Our results reveal that these effects arise not from changes in the Ni oxidation state but from an electronic charge redistribution between the eg and t2g orbitals derived from Ni-3d states. This internal electronic rearrangement, driven by strong hybridization between Ni-3d and O-2p orbitals, accounts for the inactivation of the Jahn-Teller distortion and the quenching of the magnetic moment at the NiO6 octahedra. The same mechanism also explains the shifts observed in the Ni and O K-edge X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES) spectra during delithiation. Our findings provide a new microscopic interpretation of the LNO redox process, highlighting the role of electron redistribution within the Ni-3d manifold as the true origin of its structural and magnetic transformations.
Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Elsevier, 2026. Vol. 212, article id 113536
Keywords [en]
Redox process, Electronic structure, Electronic charge redistribution, Density functional theory
National Category
Chemical Sciences
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-579259DOI: 10.1016/j.jpcs.2026.113536ISI: 001680008400002Scopus ID: 2-s2.0-105028505263OAI: oai:DiVA.org:uu-579259DiVA, id: diva2:2043254
Funder
Knut and Alice Wallenberg FoundationSwedish Research Council, 2016-05980Swedish Research Council, 2019-05304Swedish Research Council, 2024-04986Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation, 2018.0060Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation, 2021.0246Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation, 2022.0108EU, European Research Council, 854843-FASTCORRSwedish Research Council, 2022-067252026-03-042026-03-042026-03-04Bibliographically approved