In a new study, scientists at SLAC National Accelerator Lab, looked at both the surface and interior of lithium-ion battery electrodes to see how what happens in one affects the other. Their discovery that cracking and chemical changes on the particle's surface varied a lot from place to place and corresponded with areas of microscopic cracking deep inside the particle and sapped its storage capacity, will be applied to other electrode materials focusing on how charging speed affects damage patterns.