Activity of Metal-Fluorine States upon Delithiation of Disordered Rocksalt Oxyfluorides

The capacity of transition-metal oxides as Li-ion battery cathodes is limited by instabilities that arise when high states of charge are achieved. Oxyfluorides with a disordered rocksalt structure have emerged as attractive alternatives, but the role of F in their electrochemical function, particularly when cationic redox produces high formal oxidation states, remains to be ascertained. Using X-ray absorption spectroscopy, we confirm the existence of Mn–F covalent interactions in Li2MnO2F and Li2Mn2/3Nb1/3O2F. New unoccupied states evolve from hybrid 3d-2p states of both Mn–F and Mn–O bonds when the phases are delithiated, particularly in the presence of Mn­(IV). The results challenge the assumption of F as anion whose covalent states with the metal are tapped at very high potentials, providing instead a nuanced picture of redox compensation in oxyfluorides. They suggest the existence of unique knobs of design of battery cathodes by manipulating the covalent interactions between transition metals and two different anions.