The small amount of fluorine on the surface of the BM2 graphite particle (Fig. ) as well as on the surface of the BM3 graphite particle (Fig. ) can be attributed to the PVDF binder. Fig. , Fig. , and Fig. show the SEM images of NMC particles for BM1, BM2, and BM3, respectively. The surface morphology of NMC particles is more defined, and the surface of these particles shows that they consist of small needle-like structures. The presence of these needle-like structures is an indication that the CAM is intact and present in the form of Li[NixMnyCoz]O2, as also shown by the XRD analysis (Fig. ). This can be further confirmed by the EDX analysis shown in Fig. -i. Fig. shows the EDX analysis of an NMC particle for BM1, where the surface primarily consists of Ni (38.7 wt. %), Mn (10.1 wt. %), and Co (12.4 wt. %). A molar ratio between Ni, Mn, and Co amount for BM1 (Fig. ) demonstrates that this is NMC622 which is in line with the metal composition data (Table ). Similarly, Fig. and Fig. show the EDX analysis of BM2 and BM3, respectively. Here, a molar ratio between Ni:Mn:Co shows NMC111 for BM2 and NMC901 for BM3, which is again in agreement with Table . Fig. , Fig. , and Fig. also show a relatively higher amount of fluorine for BM1 (11.9 wt. %), BM2 (15.6 wt. %) and BM3 (6.8 wt. % ). This can be attributed to the presence of PVDF binder, as also estimated by TGA/MS analyses (Fig. and Fig. ). SEM images and EDX analysis of BM samples after pyrolysis show a significant morphological change for NMC particles due to being reduced to metal oxides and metallic phases, as shown by the XRD spectra of pyrolyzed samples in Fig. . This morphological change can be characterized by the destruction of needle-like NMC particles (shown in Fig. ). EDX analyses of pyrolyzed BM1 (Fig. ), BM2 (Fig. ), and BM3 (Fig. ) show that fluorine content (wt. %) on the surface of NMC particles has significantly decreased but small amounts (ranging 1.7 -2.4 wt. %) are still present. It has been discussed in the previous sections that the complete decomposition of PVDF requires a much higher temperature than 600 °C, the pyrolysis temperature used in this study. SEM/EDS in combination with XRD and metal composition data can be employed for determining the amount, distribution, and phase chemistry of NMC and impurities. SEM/EDS can also help in the local investigation of surface properties of NMC particles and coupled with the TGA/MS method it can also give insights into the amount and distribution of PVDF binder. Surface properties of graphite particles (e.g., deposition of carbonaceous material) can be examined more comprehensively using Raman spectroscopy. It can also reveal valuable information related to structural defects in graphite particles in BM. Fig. shows the Raman spectra of various surface spots for BM2, where the spectra are classified into two types: spectra from high-reflectance spots under the microscope shown in Fig. and spectra from low-reflectance spots shown in Fig. . Fig. shows three Raman spectra on three different surface spots for BM2 sample surface where three main carbon peaks are identified. In Fig. , the first peak appearing at ~ 1350 -1351 cm -1 is referred to as the D-band (disordered band) and is attributed to in-plane defects in the polyaromatic layers or edge of the sp2 graphene plane. The next peak, which is relatively intense in all three spectra of Fig. , called the G-band (graphitic band) appears at 1580 -1600 cm -1 . G-band is reported to be associated with the stretching vibration of aromatic rings and the crystal structure of sp2 carbon atoms. A very minor peak, that appears as a shoulder of the G-band at ~1620 cm -1 , is labeled as D`-band. This D`-band occurs from a similar mechanism as the D-band. Fig. shows that Raman spectra for the low-reflectance spots give rise to 5 disordered bands (D*, D, D`` and D`) and a G-band. The D*-band appears at ~1200 cm -1 and is attributed to the sp3 structure and sp2-sp3 hybrid carbon near the microcrystal. The D* and D`` bands can be attributed to amorphous and impurity contributions. An important spectral feature when investigating carbonaceous samples is the ID/IG ratio i.e., the ratio of the intensity of the Dband to that of the G-band. Table lists the ID/IG ratios of all spectra sorted by their number in Fig. . Table shows that the spectra in Fig. (Spectrum 1, 2, and 3) exhibit very low ID/IG ratios (<1.00) while the spectra in Fig. (Spectrum 3, 4 and 5)