Charge compensation and capacity fading in LiCoO_2 at high voltage investigated by soft x-ray absorption spectroscopy

In order to obtain an in-depth insight into the mechanism of charge compensation and capacity fading in LiCoO_2, the evolution of electronic structure of LiCoO_2 at different cutoff voltages and after different cycles are studied by soft x-ray absorption spectroscopy in total electron(TEY) and fluorescence(TFY) detection modes, which provide surface and bulk information, respectively. The spectra of Co L2,3-edge indicate that Co contributes to charge compensation below 4.4 V.Combining with the spectra of O K-edge, it manifests that only O contributes to electron compensation above 4.4 V with the formation of local O 2 p holes both on the surface and in the bulk, where the surficial O evolves more remarkably. The evolution of the O 2 p holes gives an explanation to the origin of O_2~-or even O_2. A comparison between the TEY and TFY of O K-edge spectra of LiCoO_2 cycled in a range from 3 V to 4.6 V indicates both the structural change in the bulk and aggregation of lithium salts on the electrode surface are responsible for the capacity fading. However, the latter is found to play a more important role after many cycles.     

Dramatic Spectral Broadening of Ultrafast Laser Pulses in Molecular Nitrogen Ions

We investigate nonlinear interaction of nitrogen molecules with a two-color laser field composed by an intense800 nm laser pulse and a weak 400 nm laser pulse.It is demonstrated that the spectrum of 400 nm pulses is dramatically broadened when the two beams temporally overlap.In comparison,the spectral broadening in argon is less pronounced,although argon atoms and nitrogen molecules have comparable ionization potentials.We reveal that the dramatic spectral broadening originates from the greatly enhanced nonlinear optical effects in the near-resonant condition of interaction between the 400 nm pulses and the nitrogen molecular ions.