PNNL

Abstract

We report density functional theory (DFT) calculations for olivine-type LiTMPO4 and TMPO4 (TM=Mn, Fe, Co, Ni) structures, using GGA+U and the B3LYP hybrid density functional that includes nonlocal Fock exchange. TM is typically characterized in terms of the formal oxide states of 2+ or 3+, corresponding to TM with localized charge in LiTMPO4 and TMPO4 structures, respectively, in which electron transport would take place by thermally activated hopping of electrons strongly localized on the transition metal (small polarons). In this work, we assess the validity of the concept of formal TM oxidation states in these materials, and conclude that the valence depends in large part on the strength of d-p hybridization. Stable small polaron formation, i.e., mixed 2+ and 3+ valence states, appears to require that the ratio of differences in the metal and oxygen ionic charges (dQTM/dQO) of the two end member phases is larger than 2, corresponding to the mixed-valence TM system. If the ratio of dQTM/dQO is smaller than 2, excess electrons prefer delocalization and the system behaves more single-valence like with charge transport more akin to metallic conduction. The critical ratio emerging from our analysis may turn out to be relevant to other transition metal systems as well, as a criterion to discriminate single-valence or mixed-valence characteristics and hence the predominant conduction mechanism.