Ultrathin LiV2O4 Layers Modified LiNi0.5Co0.2Mn0.3O2 Single-Crystal Cathodes with Enhanced Activity and Stability

Nickel-cobalt-manganese ternary cathode materials for lithium-ion batteries are prone to detrimental side reactions and deterioration performance at deep charge. Coating is one of the effective methods to boost electrochemical performance of materials. This work conducts an ultrathin LiV2O4 layer on the single-crystal LiNi0.5Co0.2Mn0.3O2 (NCM523) particles and scrutinizes the optimal coating amount. It turns out that 0.3 wt% LiV2O4-modified NCM523 cathode achieves a reversible discharging capacity of 131.2 mAh g(-1) after 100 cycles (3.0-4.5 V vs Li/Li+), with a capacity retention of 80% (which is 50% higher than that of the pristine sample). The experimental data suggest that this lithium vanadate coating technique provides an innovative strategy to boost the performance of NCM cathodes.