Molecular Dynamics Study of Lithium Diffusion in Lithium-Manganese Spinel Cathode Materials

A series of molecular dynamics computer simulations of the self-diffusion of lithium in pure and several doped lithium-manganese spinel materials has been completed. The theoretical approach is part of an effort to understand the mechanisms and rates of lithium diffusion, and to evaluate the structural control of the cathode materials upon lithium intercalation (charge-discharge) process. The molecular dynamics approach employs a fully ionic forcefield that accounts for electrostatic, repulsive, and dispersion interactions among all ions