EXAMINATION OF THE ANISOTROPIC ELECTRONIC PROPERTIES OF NaxCoO2
NaxCoO2 thin films are promising cathode materials for sodium-ion batteries due to their high capacity and stability. However, their anisotropic electronic properties present challenges for consistent device performance. This thesis investigates the influence of crystal orientation and grain boundary alignment on the electrical behavior of oriented NaxCoO2 thin films. To quantify microstructural effects, a custom Python-based image analysis tool was developed. The code enhances microscopy images using contrast-limited adaptive histogram equalization and top-hat filtering, then extracts grain boundaries through ridge enhancement and skeletonization. Fourier transform analysis within a defined radial window was used to identify dominant grain boundary orientations. Results revealed a preferred alignment near 24°, indicating that grain boundaries are not randomly distributed and may influence directional charge transport. Experimental resistivity measurements further confirmed the presence of orientation-dependent conductivity. The (006)H orientation showed elevated resistivity, while other directions posed measurement challenges due to small grain size and structural defects introduced during synthesis. These findings demonstrate how microstructural texture and grain boundary orientation affect the performance of NaxCoO2 films. The results provide guidance for optimizing thin film synthesis and device architecture in sodium-based energy storage systems.