Inhibiting Voltage Decay in Li-Rich Layered Oxide Cathode:From O3-Type to O2-Type Structural Design

Li-rich layered oxide(LRLO)cathodes have been regarded as promising candidates for next-generation Li-ion batteries due to their exceptionally high energy density,which combines cationic and anionic redox activities.However,continuous voltage decay during cycling remains the primary obstacle for practical applications,which has yet to be fundamentally addressed.It is widely acknowledged that voltage decay originates from the irreversible migration of transition metal ions,which usually further exacerbates structural evolution and aggravates the irreversible oxygen redox reactions.Recently,constructing O2-type structure has been considered one of the most promising approaches for inhibiting voltage decay.In this review,the relationship between voltage decay and structural evolution is systematically elucidated.Strategies to suppress voltage decay are systematically summarized.Additionally,the design of O2-type structure and the corresponding mechanism of suppressing voltage decay are comprehensively discussed.Unfortunately,the reported O2-type LRLO cathodes still exhibit partially disordered structure with extended cycles.Herein,the factors that may cause the irreversible transition metal migrations in O2-type LRLO materials are also explored,while the perspectives and challenges for designing high-performance O2-type LRLO cathodes without voltage decay are proposed.

Dependence of Initial Capacity Irreversibility on Oxygen Framework Chemistry in Li-Rich Layered Cathode Oxides

The undesirable capacity loss after first cycle is universal among layered cathode materials,which results in the capacity and energy decay.The key to resolving this obstacle lies in understanding the effect and origin of specific active Li sites during discharge process.In this study,focusing on Ah-level pouch cells for reliability,an ultrahigh initial Coulombic efficiency(96.1%)is achieved in an archetypical Li-rich layered oxide material.Combining the structure and electrochemistry analysis,we demonstrate that the achievement of high-capacity reversibility is a kinetic effect,primarily related to the sluggish Li mobility during oxygen reduction.Activating oxygen reduction through small density would induce the oxygen framework contraction,which,according to Pauli repulsion,imposes a great repulsive force to hinder the transport of tetrahedral Li.The tetrahedral Li storage upon deep oxygen reduction is experimentally visualized and,more importantly,contributes to 6%Coulombic efficiency enhancement as well as 10%energy density improvement for pouch cells,which shows great potentials breaking through the capacity and energy limitation imposed by intercalation chemistry.

Enhanced high-temperature performance of Li-rich layered oxide via surface heterophase coating

Li-rich layered oxides have become one of the most concerned cathode materials for high-energy lithiumion batteries, but they still suffer from poor cycling stability and detrimental voltage decay, especially at elevated temperature. Herein, we proposed a surface heterophase coating engineering based on amorphous/crystalline Li3 PO4 to address these issues for Li-rich layered oxides via a facile wet chemical method. The heterophase coating layer combines the advantages of physical barrier effect achieved by amorphous Li3 PO4 with facilitated Li+diffusion stemmed from crystalline Li3 PO4. Consequently, the modified Li(1.2) Ni(0.2) Mn(0.6) O2 delivers higher initial coulombic efficiency of 92% with enhanced cycling stability at 55 °C(192.9 mAh/g after 100 cycles at 1 C). More importantly, the intrinsic voltage decay has been inhibited as well, i.e. the average potential drop per cycle decreases from 5.96 mV to 2.99 mV. This surface heterophase coating engineering provides an effective strategy to enhance the high-temperature electrochemical performances of Li-rich layered oxides and guides the direction of surface modification strategies for cathode materials in the future.

Oxygen-defects evolution to stimulate continuous capacity increase in Co-free Li-rich layered oxides

Though oxygen defects are associated with deteriorated structures and aggravated cycling performance in traditional layered cathodes,the role of oxygen defects is still ambiguous in Li-rich layered oxides due to the involvement of oxygen redox.Herein,a Co-free Li-rich layered oxide Li_(1.286)Ni_(0.071)Mn_(0.643)O_(2)has been prepared by a co-precipitation method to systematically investigate the undefined effects of the oxygen defects.A significant O_(2)release and the propagation of oxygen vacancies were detected by operando differential electrochemical mass spectroscopy(DEMS)and electron energy loss spectroscopy(EELS),respectively.Scanning transmission electron microscopy-high angle annular dark field(STEMHAADF)reveals the oxygen vacancies fusing to nanovoids and monitors a stepwise electrochemical activation process of the large Li_(2)MnO_(3)domain upon cycling.Combined with the quantitative analysis conducted by the energy dispersive spectrometer(EDS),existed nano-scale oxygen defects actually expose more surface to the electrolyte for facilitating the electrochemical activation and subsequently increasing available capacity.Overall,this work persuasively elucidates the function of oxygen defects on oxygen redox in Co-free Li-rich layered oxides.

Synthesis and electrochemical performance of La_(2)CuO_(4)as a promising coating material for high voltage Li-rich layered oxide cathodes

The structural transformations,oxygen releasing and side reactions with electrolytes on the surface are considered as the main causes of the performance degradation of Li-rich layered oxides(LROs)cathodes in Li-ion batteries.Thus,stabilizing the surfaces of LROs is the key to realize their practical application in high energy density Li-ion batteries.Surface coating is regarded as one of the most effective strategies for high voltage cathodes.The ideal coating materials should prevent cathodes from electrolyte corrosion and possess both electronic and Li-ionic conductivities simultaneously.However,commonly reported coating materials are unable to balance these functions well.Herein,a new type of coating material,La_(2)CuO_(4)was introduced to mitigate the surface issues of LROs for the first time,due to its superb electronic conductivity(26-35 mS·cm^(-1))and lithium-ionic diffusion coefficient(10^(-12)-10^(-13)cm^(2)·s^(-1)).After coating with the La_(2)CuO_(4),the capacity retention of Li_(1.2)Ni_(0.54)Co_(0.13)Mn_(0.13)O_(2)cathode was increased to 85.9%(compared to 79.3%of uncoated cathode)after 150 cycles in the voltage range of 2.0-4.8 V.In addition,only negligible degradations on the deliverable capacity and rate capability were observed.

Understanding Li roles in chemical reversibility of O2-type Li-rich layered cathode materials

Traditional O3-type Li-rich layered materials are attractive with ultra-high specific capacities,but suffering from inherent problems of voltage hysteresis and poor cycle performance.As an alternative,O2-type materials show the potential to improve the oxygen redox reversibility and structural stability.However,their structure-performance relationship is still unclear.Here,we investigate the correlation between the Li component and dynamic chemical reversibility of O2-type Li-rich materials.By exploring the formation mechanism of a series of materials prepared by Na/Li exchange,we reveal that insufficient Li leads to an incomplete replacement,and the residual Na in the Li-layer would hinder the fast diffusion of Li^(+).Moreover,excessive Li induces the extraction of interlayer Li during the melting chemical reaction stage,resulting in a reduction in the valence of Mn,which leads to a severe Jahn-Teller effect.Structural detection confirms that the regulation of Li can improve the cycle stability of Li-rich materials and suppress the trend of voltage fading.The reversible phase evolution observed in in-situ X-ray diffraction confirms the excellent structural stability of the optimized material,which is conducive to capacity retention.This work highlights the significance of modulating dynamic electrochemical performance through the intrinsic structure.

Characterization of Li-rich layered oxides by using transmission electron microscope

Lithium-rich layered oxides(LrLOs) deliver extremely high specific capacities and are considered to be promising candidates for electric vehicle and smart grid applications. However, the application of LrLOs needs further understanding of the structural complexity and dynamic evolution of monoclinic and rhombohedral phases, in order to overcome the issues including voltage decay, poor rate capability, initial irreversible capacity loss and etc. The development of aberration correction for the transmission electron microscope and concurrent progress in electron spectroscopy, have fueled rapid progress in the understanding of the mechanism of such issues. New techniques based on the transmission electron microscope are first surveyed, and the applications of these techniques for the study of the structure, migration of transition metal, and the activation of oxygen of LrLOs are then explored in detail, with a particular focus on the mechanism of voltage decay.

Understanding De-protonation Induced Formation of Spinel Phase in Li-rich Layered Oxides for Improved Rate Performance

Constructing layered-spinel composites is important to improve the rate performance of lithium-rich layered oxides.However,up to now,the effect of microstructure of composites on the rate performance has not been well investigated.In this study,a series of samples were prepared by a simple protonation and de-protonation for the pristine layered material(LiMnNiCoO)obtained by sol-gel method.The characterizations of XRD,Raman and oxidation-reduction potentials of charge-discharge curves demonstrated that these samples after de-protonation are layered-spinel composites.When these composites were tested as a cathode of lithium-ion batteries,the sample treated with 0.1 M of nitric acid exhibited higher discharge capacities at each current density than that of other composites.The outstanding rate performance is attributed to the high concentration of conduction electron resulting from the low average valence state(44.2%of Ni)as confirmed by its high conductivity(1.124×10??mat39800Hz)and ambient temperature magnetic susceptibility(8.40×10emu/Oe?mol).This work has a guiding significance for the synthesis of high rate performance of lithium battery cathode materials.

V-doped Co-free Li-rich layered oxide with enhanced oxygen redox reversibility for excellent voltage stability and high initial Coulombic efficiency

Li-rich Mn-based oxides(LRMOs)hold great promise as next-generation cathode materials for high-energy Li-ion batteries because of their low cost and high capacity.Nevertheless,the practical application of LRMOs is impeded by their low initial Coulombic efficiency and rapid voltage decay.Herein,a V-doped layered-spinel coherent layer is constructed on the surface of a Co-free LRMO through a simple treatment with NH_(4)VO_(3).The layered-spinel coherent layer with 3D ion channels enhanced Li+diffusion efficiency,mitigates surface-inter-face reactions and suppresses irreversible oxygen release.Notably,V-doping significantly reduces the Bader charge of oxygen atoms,thereby impeding excessive oxidation of oxygen ions and further enhancing the stability of O-redox.The modified LRMO exhibites a remarkable initial Coulombic efficiency of 91.6%,signifi-cantly surpassing that of the original LRMO(74.4%).Furthermore,the treated sample showes an impressive capacity retention rate of 91.9%after 200 cycles,accompanied by a voltage decay of merely 0.47 mV per cycle.The proposed treatment approach is straightforward and significantly improves the initial Coulombic efficiency,voltage stability,and capacity stability of LRMO cathode materials,thus holding considerable promise for the development of high-energy Li-ion batteries.

Mitigated lattice distortion and oxygen loss of Li-rich layered cathode materials through anion/cation regulation by Ti^(4+)-substitution

Lithium-rich layered cathode material(LLM)can meet the requirement of power lithium-ion energy storage devices due to the great energy density.However,the de/intercalation of Li+will cause the irreversible loss of lattice oxygen and trigger transition metal(TM)ions migrate to Li+vacancies,resulting in capacity decay.Here we brought Ti4+in substitution of TM ions in Li_(1.2)Mn_(0.54)Ni_(0.13)Co_(0.13)O_(2),which could stabilize structure and expand the layer spacing of LLM.Moreover,optimized Ti-substitution can regulate the anions and cations of LLM,enhance the interaction with lattice oxygen,increase Ni^(3+) and Co^(3+),and improve Mn^(4+) coordination,improving reversibility of oxygen redox activation,maintaining the stable framework and facilitating the Li^(+) diffusion.Furthermore,we found 5%Ti-substitution sample delivered a high discharge capacity of 244.2 mAh/g at 50 mA/g,an improved cycling stability to 87.3%after 100 cycles and enhanced rate performance.Thereby Ti-substitution gives a new pathway to achieve high reversible cycle retention for LLMs.

Novel MOF shell-derived surface modification of Li-rich layered oxide cathode for enhanced lithium storage

Li-rich layered oxide materials have attracted increasing attention because of their high specific capacity(>250 mAh g^(-1)). However, these materials typically suffer from poor cycling stability and low rate performance. Herein, we propose a facile and novel metal-organic-framework(MOF) shell-derived surface modification strategy to construct NiCo nanodots decorated(~5 nm in diameter) carbon-confined Li_(1.2)Mn_(0.54) Ni_(0.13)Co_(0.13)O_2 nanoparticles(LLO@C&NiCo). The MOF shell is firstly formed on the surface of as-prepared Li_(1.2)Mn_(0.54)Ni_(0.13)Co_(0.13)O_2 nanoparticles via low-pressure vapor superassembly and then is in situ converted to the NiCo nanodots decorated carbon shell after subsequent controlled pyrolysis.The obtained LLO@C&NiCo cathode exhibits enhanced cycling and rate capability with a capacity retention of 95% after 100 cycles at 0.4 C and a high capacity of 159 mAh g^(-1) at 5 C, respectively, compared with those of LLO(75% and 105 mAh g^(-1)). The electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and selected area electron diffraction analyses after cycling demonstrate that the thin C&NiCo shell can endow LLO with high electronic conductivity and structural stability, indicating the undesired formation of the spinel phase initiated from the particle surface is efficiently suppressed. Therefore, this presented strategy may open a new avenue on the design of high-performance electrode materials for energy storage.

Surface yttrium-doping induced by element segregation to suppress oxygen release in Li-rich layered oxide cathodes

Doping electrochemically inert elements in Li-rich layered oxide cathodes usually stabilizes the structure to improve electrochemical performance at the expense of available capacity.Here,we use an element segregation principle to realize a uniform surface doping without capacity sacrifice.On the basis of Hume-Rothery rule,element yttrium is chosen as a candidate dopant to spontaneously segregate at particle surface due to mismatched ionic size.Combined with X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and electron energy loss spectroscopy mapping,yttrium is demonstrated uniformly distributed on particle surface.More importantly,a significant alleviation of oxygen release after surface doping is detected by operando differential electrochemical mass spectrometry.As a result,the modified sample exhibits improved reversibility of oxygen redox with 82.1%coulombic efficiency and excellent cycle performances with 84.15%capacity retention after 140 cycles.Postmortem analysis by transmission electron microscopy,Raman spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction reveal that the modified sample maintains the layered structure without a significant structure transformation after long cycles.This work provides an effective strategy with a series of elements to meet the industrial application.

Interface-reconstruction Forming Bifunctional(LixTM1-x)O Rock-salt Shell for Enhanced Cyclability in Li-rich Layered Oxide

Poor cycling stability,as a long-standing issue,has greatly hindered the commercial application of Li-rich layered oxide cathodes in high-energy-density Li-ion batteries.NiO-type rock-salt phase is commonly considered electrochemically inert but stable.Herein,an ultrathin(LixTM1-x)O rock-salt shell was in situ constructed at the particle surface during the synthesis of Li-rich layered oxide cathodes through a unique soft chemical quenching method.Comprehensive structural/chemical analysis reveals that,it not only inherits the chemical stability of traditional NiO-type rock-salt phase,but also facilitates Li^+diffusion due to the co-occupancy of Li^+and TM cations.Such a bifunctional shell could efficiently prevent TM dissolution and oxygen evolution during the long-term cycling,eventually leading to the enhanced cycling stability for Li-rich layered oxides(92.7%of capacity retention after 200 cycles at 0.5 C).It provides new guidance to design and synthesize new Li-rich layered oxides with the excellent cycling stability through utilizing some electrochemically-inert phases.

Improving rate performances of Li-rich layered oxide by the co-doping of Sn and K ions

The specific capacities and power performances of conventional cathode materials are still needed to improve in order to meet the demand for electrical vehicles.Li-rich layered oxide delivers a high specific capacity,but poor rate performances.Chemical doping is an effective way to address this challenge due to the expanded crystal lattice.Unlike a single ion substitution in the literature,here Li-rich layered oxides were doped by Sn and K to achieve the favorite rate performance,where Sn and K were assumed to replace transition metal ion and Li ion,respectively.Results indicate the co-doped samples result in an increasing capacity retention by more than 40%from 107.9(contrast sample)to 151.5 mAh g^(-1)(co-doped sample)at 10 C-rate.Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy(EIS)and calculated diffusion coefficient of Li^(+) also confirmed the favorite rate performances for co-doped sample.Combining results of Rietveld structure refinement,we proposed that the reason for rate performances comes from the enlarged crystal lattices,which provides a smooth diffusion tunnel for Lithium ions during the charge/discharge processes.The as-adopted method provides a possibility to achieve the improved rate performances by co-doping big-size ions at the different crystal sites.

Dual-site Doping to Enhance Oxygen Redox and Structural Stability of Li-rich Layered Oxides

Cobalt-free Li-rich layered oxides(LLOs)such as Li_(2)MnO_(3) have attracted extensive attention owing to their high specific capacity and low cost.Nonetheless,numerous problems such as continuous voltage fading and capacity decay have become stumbling blocks in its commercial application.In this study,we propose an effective dual-site doping strategy by choosing Mo as the cation and F as the anion to enhance the capacity and cycling performance.The researchdemonstrates that the cycling stability of LLOs enhances with the doping ratio of Mo,and their capacity increases with the doping ratio of F.It is because Mo as a pillar enhances the structural stability and F doping is conducive to the activation of Li;MnO;.What’s more,dual-site doping also promotes the diffusion of Li;and reduces the internal resistance of the electrode.Due to these improvements,the 5F3M sample still maintains a discharge capacity of 190.98 mAh g;after 100 cycles at 200 mA g^(-1),which is much higher than 165.29 mAh g;of the Pristine sample.This discovery provides a new way to develop advanced layered oxide cathodes for both Na-and Li-ion batteries.

Structural insights into lithium-deficient type Li-rich layered oxide for high-performance cathode

As one of the promising candidate cathode materials for the high-performance lithium-ion batteries,Li-rich layered oxides still suffer from a series of critical drawbacks,such as voltage decay,oxygen release,irrevers-ible migration of transition metal ions,etc.In this work,Li-deficient method has been confirmed as an effective approach to improve the overall electrochemical performances of Li-rich cathode.The optimized lithium-deficient Li-rich layered cathode exhibits splendid discharge capacity of~297 mAh/g at 0.1 C and prominent rate per-formance of-143 mAh/g at 5 C.Subsequently,neutron diffraction in combination with Raman spectroscopy is applied to explore and clarify the underlying mechanism for improved performances.It was found that the lithium-deficient induced nickel migration and oxygen vacancy play an significant role in improving electro-chemical performances,because migration of nickel into Li layer is able to expand the Li layer spacing and reduce the Li/Ni antisite,leading to facilitated diffusion of lithium ions.Moreover,the formation of oxygen vacancy is able to promote anionic redox processes and suppress the gas release,thus leading to higher capacity.The results present valuable structural insights into the influence of lithium deficiency and provide guidance for the devel-opment of Li-rich cathode materials.

Layered Structural PBAT Composite Foams for Efficient Electromagnetic Interference Shielding

The utilization of eco-friendly,lightweight,high-efficiency and high-absorbing electromagnetic interference(EMI)shielding composites is imperative in light of the worldwide promotion of sustainable manufacturing.In this work,magnetic poly(butyleneadipate-coterephthalate)(PBAT)microspheres were firstly synthesized via phase separation method,then PBAT composite foams with layered structure was constructed through the supercritical carbon dioxide foaming and scraping techniques.The merits of integrating ferroferric oxideloaded multi-walled carbon nanotubes(Fe3O4@MWCNTs)nanoparticles,a microcellular framework,and a highly conductive silver layer have been judiciously orchestrated within this distinctive layered configuration.Microwaves are consumed throughout the process of“absorption-reflection-reabsorption”as much as possible,which greatly declines the secondary radiation pollution.The biodegradable PBAT composite foams achieved an EMI shielding effectiveness of up to 68 dB and an absorptivity of 77%,and authenticated favorable stabilization after the tape adhesion experiment.

High‑Entropy Layered Oxide Cathode Enabling High‑Rate for Solid‑State Sodium‑Ion Batteries

Na-ion O3-type layered oxides are prospective cathodes for Na-ion batteries due to high energy density and low-cost.Nevertheless,such cathodes usually suffer from phase transitions,sluggish kinetics and air instability,making it difficult to achieve high performance solid-state sodium-ion batteries.Herein,the high-entropy design and Li doping strategy alleviate lattice stress and enhance ionic conductivity,achieving high-rate performance,air stability and electrochemically thermal stability for Na_(0.95)Li_(0.06)Ni_(0.25)Cu_(0.05)Fe_(0.15)Mn_(0.49)O_(2).This cathode delivers a high reversible capacity(141 mAh g^(−1)at 0.2C),excellent rate capability(111 mAh g^(−1)at 8C,85 mAh g^(−1)even at 20C),and long-term stability(over 85%capacity retention after 1000 cycles),which is attributed to a rapid and reversible O3–P3 phase transition in regions of low voltage and suppresses phase transition.Moreover,the compound remains unchanged over seven days and keeps thermal stability until 279℃.Remarkably,the polymer solid-state sodium battery assembled by this cathode provides a capacity of 92 mAh g^(−1)at 5C and keeps retention of 96%after 400 cycles.This strategy inspires more rational designs and could be applied to a series of O3 cathodes to improve the performance of solid-state Na-ion batteries.

Difficulties, strategies, and recent research and development of layered sodium transition metal oxide cathode materials for high-energy sodium-ion batteries

Energy-storage systems and their production have attracted significant interest for practical applications.Batteries are the foundation of sustainable energy sources for electric vehicles(EVs),portable electronic devices(PEDs),etc.In recent decades,Lithium-ion batteries(LIBs) have been extensively utilized in largescale energy storage devices owing to their long cycle life and high energy density.However,the high cost and limited availability of Li are the two main obstacles for LIBs.In this regard,sodium-ion batteries(SIBs) are attractive alternatives to LIBs for large-scale energy storage systems because of the abundance and low cost of sodium materials.Cathode is one of the most important components in the battery,which limits cost and performance of a battery.Among the classified cathode structures,layered structure materials have attracted attention because of their high ionic conductivity,fast diffusion rate,and high specific capacity.Here,we present a comprehensive review of the classification of layered structures and the preparation of layered materials.Furthermore,the review article discusses extensively about the issues of the layered materials,namely(1) electrochemical degradation,(2) irreversible structural changes,and(3) structural instability,and also it provides strategies to overcome the issues such as elemental phase composition,a small amount of elemental doping,structural design,and surface alteration for emerging SIBs.In addition,the article discusses about the recent research development on layered unary,binary,ternary,quaternary,quinary,and senary-based O3-and P2-type cathode materials for high-energy SIBs.This review article provides useful information for the development of high-energy layered sodium transition metal oxide P2 and O3-cathode materials for practical SIBs.

Investigation of anisotropic strength criteria for layered rock mass

Layered rock mass is a type of engineering rock mass with sound mechanical anisotropy,which is generally unfavorable to the stability of underground works.To investigate the strength anisotropy of layered rock,the Mohr-Coulomb and Hoek-Brown criteria are introduced to establish the two transverse isotropic strength criteria based on Jaeger's single weak plane theory and maximum axial strain theory,and parameter determination methods.Furthermore,the sensitivity of strength parameters(K 1,K 2,and K 3)that are used to characterize the anisotropy strength of non-sliding failure involved in the strength criteria and confining pressure are investigated.The results demonstrate that strength parameters K 1 and K 2 affect the strength of layered rock samples at all bedding angles except for the bedding angle of 90°and the angle range that can cause the shear sliding failure along the bedding plane.The strength of samples at any bedding angle decreases with increasing K 1,whereas the opposite is for K 2.Except for bedding angles of 0°and 90°and the bedding angle range that can cause the shear sliding along the bedding plane,K 3 has an impact on the strength of rock samples with other bedding angles that the specimens'strength increases with increase of K 3.In addition,the strength of the rock sample increases as confining pressure rises.Furthermore,the uniaxial and triaxial tests of chlorite schist samples were carried out to verify and evaluate the strength criteria proposed in the paper.It shows that the predicted strength is in good agreement with the experimental results.To test the applicability of the strength criterion,the strength data of several types of rock in the literature are compared.Finally,a comparison is made between the fitting effects of the two strength criteria and other available criteria for layered rocks.