A novel LiCoPO4-coated core-shell structure for spinel LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4 as a high-performance cathode material for lithium-ion batteries

The electrochemical performance of spinel LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4 is strongly influenced by the content of Mn3+. In this work, a novel olivine LiCoPO4 shell coated structure was designed to tune the content of Mn3+ in LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4. The results indicated that after modification, LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4@ LiCoPO4 can greatly improve the electrochemical performance by inducing an appropriate amount of Mn3+. A sample containing 5 wt% LiCoPO4 addition shows the best properties delivering 137 mA h g (-1) at a current density of 0.5 degrees C and remains at 132 mA h g (- 1) with 98.5% charge/discharge efficiency after 100 cycles and 130 mA h g (-1) at a high current density of 20 degrees C, better than any other samples. This novel functional cathode material can be considered as a promising and useful choice for next generation LIB devices.