Nanoscale Surface Modification of Lithium-Rich Layered-Oxide Composite Cathodes for Suppressing Voltage Fade

Lithium-rich layered oxides are promising cathode materials for lithium-ion batteries and exhibit a high reversible capacity exceeding 250mAhg(-1). However, voltage fade is the major problem that needs to be overcome before they can find practical applications. Here, Li1.2Mn0.54Ni0.13Co0.13O2 (LLMO) oxides are subjected to nanoscale LiFePO4 (LFP) surface modification. The resulting materials combine the advantages of both bulk doping and surface coating as the LLMO crystal structure is stabilized through cationic doping, and the LLMO cathode materials are protected from corrosion induced by organic electrolytes. An LLMO cathode modified with 5wt% LFP (LLMO-LFP5) demonstrated suppressed voltage fade and a discharge capacity of 282.8mAhg(-1) at 0.1C with a capacity retention of 98.1% after 120 cycles. Moreover, the nanoscale LFP layers incorporated into the LLMO surfaces can effectively maintain the lithium-ion and charge transport channels, and the LLMO-LFP5 cathode demonstrated an excellent rate capacity.