State-of-Charge-Dependent Anisotropic Lithium Diffusion and Stress Development in Ni-Rich NMC Cathodes: A Multiscale Simulation Study

Abstract

Understanding the relationship between state-of-charge (SOC) and anisotropic lithium diffusion is essential for improving the durability of Ni-rich layered oxide cathodes. However, quantitative insights into directional lithium diffusivity and its influence on mechanical degradation remain limited. In this study, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations were performed for LiNixMnyCozO2 (NMC) compositions with varying nickel content and SOC levels to reveal composition- and direction-dependent lithium transport behavior. The numerical indices in NMC compositions (e.g., NMC111, NMC532, NMC811) indicate the relative molar ratios of Ni, Mn, and Co, respectively, in LiNixMnyCozO2. The results show that lithium diffusion is enhanced at low SOC, owing to the abundance of vacant sites, while diffusion along the out-of-plane (c-axis) direction is strongly constrained, particularly in Ni-rich systems. To bridge the atomistic and continuum scales, the SOC-dependent anisotropic diffusivities obtained from MD simulations were incorporated into a chemo-mechanical finite-element model of an NMC811 particle. The coupled analysis demonstrates that anisotropic and SOC-dependent diffusion accelerates lithium depletion and stress localization, elucidating the origin of particle cracking in Ni-rich cathodes. This multiscale framework provides quantitative parameters and mechanistic understanding critical for designing durable next-generation lithium-ion batteries.