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Changes in the electronic structure of Li 1 - x Ni 0.8 Co 0.2 O 2 during delithiation (charge) are elucidated by changes in the O K-edge and transition-metal (TM) L 2,3 -edge. Electron energy-loss spectrometry was used to investigate the O 2p and TM 3d occupancy over a wide range of lithium concentrations. Quantitative analysis of the TM L 2,3 white lines indicates that the Ni ion accommodates no more than one-half of an electron, whereas the net Co valence is unaffected by delithiation. In contrast with the small changes observed in the TM L 2,3 -edge, a large decrease in state occupancy is observed in the near-edge structure of the O K-edge, suggesting that much of the electron charge is accommodated by the anion.
Graetz et al. (2003) studied this question.