Physiochemical and electrochemical means were used to characterize the failure mechanisms of the lithium manganese oxide based solid solutions utilized as positive electrodes for Li batteries. Resultant data supports a theory in which the 22 and 55°C failure mechanisms are one in the same. The poor performance is exacerbated during cycling due to a mechanism linked to the symbiotic relationship between physical destruction induced by a surface Jahn-Teller distortion and the classic failure mechanisms presented for the chemical failure of the spinel at elevated temperature storage. Based on these findings, a spinel, LiAl x Mn 2Ϫx O 4Ϫz F z , was fabricated which exhibits enhanced stability at elevated temperature.During the past decade, rechargeable lithium batteries have undergone a period of intense commercialization due to their intrinsically superior energy density over other rechargeable battery technologies such as nickel metal hydride. The overwhelming majority of the cells utilize electrochemical couples consisting of negative electrodes of carbonaceous products, typically graphite, and positive electrodes of the layered LiCoO 2 . 1,2 Recent focus on larger rechargeable battery applications such as electric scooters, electric motorcycles, and electric cars has intensified the search for lower cost, safer, and less toxic cathode materials than LiCoO 2 . To address these issues, much research has focused recently on the development of LiMn 2 O 4 spinel based positive electrodes suitable for use in commercial Li-ion cells. [3][4][5] Unlike the layered LiCoO 2 , LiMn 2 O 4 crystallizes in the spinel Fd3m space group. Li ions occupy tetrahedral 8a sites while the manganese cations and oxygen anions occupy the octahedral 16d and 32e sites, respectively. Lithium ions exhibit relatively quick diffusion through a pathway consisting of 8a and 16c sites. 5 Early in its introduction as a positive electrode material, room-temperature cycling lifetime was poor. This problem was solved for the most part with the realization that monovalent, divalent, and trivalent metal substitution for the manganese cation ((Li) 8a ͓Me x Mn 2Ϫx ͔ 16d O 4 ) improved room-temperature cycling performance significantly. 6-12 The improvement was based on the increase of the manganese average oxidation state with the formation of these solid solutions.Nominal spinel of Li 1 Mn 2 O 4 has a composition consisting of 50% Mn 3ϩ and 50% Mn 4ϩ . High spin Mn 3ϩ is a Jahn-Teller cation. When additional Li ions are intercalated into the octahedral 16c sites of the Li 1 Mn 2 O 4 spinel (Li 1ϩx Mn 2 O 4 ), the average oxidation state of the manganese cations becomes lower than 3.5. This results in the onset of a cooperative Jahn-Teller distortion, increasing the c/a ratio by 16%. The presence of Li ions on the 16c sites also induces neighboring Li ions currently existing on the tetrahedral 8a sites to displace onto the 16c sites. The formation of Li 1ϩx Mn 2 O 4 is a twophase front reaction consisting of Li 1 Mn 2 O 4 and the Jahn-Teller distorted (F4 ...