New insights into the pre-lithiation kinetics of single-crystalline Ni-rich cathodes for long-life Li-ion batteries

Developing single-crystalline Ni-rich cathodes is an effective strategy to improve the safety and cycle life of Li-ion batteries(LIBs).However,the easy-to-loss of Li and O in high-temperature lithiation results in unsatisfactory ordered layered structure and stoichiometry.Herein,we demonstrate the synthesis of highly-ordered and fully-stoichiometric single-crystalline LiNi_(0.83)Co_(0.12)Mn_(0.05)O_(2)(SC-NCM83)cathodes by the regulation of pre-lithiation kinetics.The well-balanced pre-lithiation kinetics have been proved to greatly improve the proportion of layered phase in the intermediate by inhibiting the formation of metastable spinel phase,which promoted the rapid transformation of the intermediate into highly-ordered layered SC-NCM83 in the subsequent lithiation process.After coating a layer of Li_(2)O–B_(2)O_(3),the resultant cathodes deliver superior cycling stability with 90.9%capacity retention at 1C after 300 cycles in pouch-type full batteries.The enhancement mechanism has also been clarified.These findings exhibit fundamental insights into the pre-lithiation kinetics process for guiding the synthesis of high-quality singlecrystalline Ni-rich cathodes.

A Review:Pre-lithiation Strategies Based on Cathode Sacrificial Lithium Salts for Lithium-Ion Capacitors

Similar to lithium-ion batteries(LIBs),during the first charge/discharge process of lithium-ion capacitors(LICs),lithium-intercalated anodes(e.g.,silicon,graphite,and hard carbon)also exhibit irreversible lithium intercalation behaviors,such as the formation of a solid electrolyte interface(SEI),which will consume Li^(+)in the electrolyte and significantly reduce the electrochemical performance of the system.Therefore,pre-lithiation is an indispensable procedure for LICs.At present,commercial LICs mostly use lithium metal as the lithium source to compensate for the irreversible capacity loss,which has the demerits of operational complexity and danger.However,the pre-lithiation strategy based on cathode sacrificial lithium salts(CSLSs)has been proposed,which has the advantages of low cost,simple operation,environmental protection,and safety.Therefore,there is an urgent need for a timely and comprehensive summary of the application of CSLSs to LICs.In this review,the important roles of pre-lithiation in LICs are detailed,and different pre-lithiation methods are reviewed and compared systematically and comprehensively.After that,we systematically discuss the pre-lithiation strategies based on CSLSs and mainly introduce the lithium extraction mechanism of CSLSs and the influence of intrinsic characteristics and doping amount of CSLSs on LICs performance.In addition,a summary and outlook are conducted,aiming to provide the essential basic knowledge and guidance for developing a new pre-lithiation technology.

Preferentially selective extraction of lithium from spent LiCoO_(2)cathodes by medium-temperature carbon reduction roasting

Lithium recovery from spent lithium-ion batteries(LIBs)have attracted extensive attention due to the skyrocketing price of lithium.The medium-temperature carbon reduction roasting was proposed to preferential selective extraction of lithium from spent Li-CoO_(2)(LCO)cathodes to overcome the incomplete recovery and loss of lithium during the recycling process.The LCO layered structure was destroyed and lithium was completely converted into water-soluble Li2CO_(3)under a suitable temperature to control the reduced state of the cobalt oxide.The Co metal agglomerates generated during medium-temperature carbon reduction roasting were broken by wet grinding and ultrasonic crushing to release the entrained lithium.The results showed that 99.10%of the whole lithium could be recovered as Li2CO_(3)with a purity of 99.55%.This work provided a new perspective on the preferentially selective extraction of lithium from spent lithium batteries.

Selective lithium recovery and regeneration of ternary cathode from spent lithium-ion batteries:Mixed HCl-H_(2)SO_(4) leaching-spray pyrolysis approach

The recycling of spent lithium-ion batteries(LIBs) is crucial for environmental protection and resource sustainability.However,the economic recovery of spent LIBs remains challenging due to low Li recovery efficiency and the need for multiple separation operations.Here,we propose a process involving mixed HCl-H_(2)SO_(4) leaching-spray pyrolysis for recycling spent ternary LIBs,achieving both selective Li recovery and the preparation of a ternary oxide precursor.Specifically,the process transforms spent ternary cathode(LiNi_(x)Co_yMn_(2)O_(2),NCM) powder into Li_(2)SO_(4) solution and ternary oxide,which can be directly used for synthesizing battery-grade Li_(2)CO_(3) and NCM cathode,respectively.Notably,SO_(4)^(2-) selectively precipitates with Li^(+) to form thermostable Li_(2)SO_(4) during the spray pyrolysis,which substantially improves the Li recovery efficiency by inhibiting Li evaporation and intercalation.Besides,SO_(2) emissions are avoided by controlling the molar ratio of Li^(+)/SO_(4)^(2-)(≥2:1),The mechanism of the preferential formation of Li_(2)SO_(4) is interpreted from its reverse solubility variation with temperature.During the recycling of spent NCM811,92% of Li is selectively recovered,and the regenerated NCM811 exhibits excellent cycling stability with a capacity retention of 81.7% after 300 cycles at 1 C.This work offers a simple and robust process for the recycling of spent NCM cathodes.

Suppress oxygen evolution of lithium-rich manganese-based cathode materials via an integrated strategy

Improving the reversibility of anionic redox and inhibiting irreversible oxygen evolution are the main challenges in the application of high reversible capacity Li-rich Mn-based cathode materials.A facile synchronous lithiation strategy combining the advantages of yttrium doping and LiYO_(2) surface coating is proposed.Yttrium doping effectively suppresses the oxygen evolution during the delithiation process by increasing the energy barrier of oxygen evolution reaction through strong Y–O bond energy.LiYO_(2) nanocoating has the function of structural constraint and protection,that protecting the lattice oxygen exposed to the surface,thus avoiding irreversible oxidation.As an Li^(+) conductor,LiYO_(2) nano-coating can provide a fast Li^(+) transfer channel,which enables the sample to have excellent rate performance.The synergistic effect of Y doping and nano-LiYO_(2) coating integration suppresses the oxygen release from the surface,accelerates the diffusion of Li^(+)from electrolyte to electrode and decreases the interfacial side reactions,enabling the lithium ion batteries to obtain good electrochemical performance.The lithium-ion full cell employing the Y-1 sample(cathode)and commercial graphite(anode)exhibit an excellent specific energy density of 442.9 Wh kg^(-1) at a current density of 0.1C,with very stable safety performance,which can be used in a wide temperature range(60 to-15℃)stable operation.This result illustrates a new integration strategy for advanced cathode materials to achieve high specific energy density.

Boosting rate performance of layered lithium-rich cathode materials by oxygen vacancy induced surface multicomponent integration

The rapid development of electric vehicles and portable energy storage systems demands improvements in the energy density and cost-effectiveness of lithium-ion batteries,a domain in which Lithium-rich layered cathode(LLO)materials inherently excel.However,these materials face practical challenges,such as low initial Coulombic efficiency,inferior cycle/rate performance,and voltage decline during cycling,which limit practical application.Our study introduces a surface multi-component integration strategy that incorporates oxygen vacancies into the pristine LLO material Li1.2Mn_(0.6)Ni_(0.2)O_(2).This process involves a brief citric acid treatment followed by calcination,aiming to explore rate-dependent degradation behavior.The induced surface oxygen vacancies can reduce surface oxygen partial pressure and diminish the generation of O_(2)and other highly reactive oxygen species on the surface,thereby facilitating the activation of Li ions trapped in tetrahedral sites while overcoming transport barriers.Additionally,the formation of a spinel-like phase with 3D Li+diffusion channels significantly improves Li^(+)diffusion kinetics and stabilizes the surface structure.The optimally modified sample boasts a discharge capacity of 299.5 mA h g^(-1)at a 0.1 C and 251.6 mA h g^(-1)at a 1 C during the initial activation cycle,with an impressive capacity of 222.1 mA h g^(-1)at a 5 C.Most notably,it retained nearly 70%of its capacity after 300 cycles at this elevated rate.This straightforward,effective,and highly viable modification strategy provides a crucial resolution for overcoming challenges associated with LLO materials,making them more suitable for practical application.

Accurate estimation of Li/Ni mixing degree of lithium nickel oxide cathode materials

Li/Ni mixing negatively influences the discharge capacity of lithium nickel oxide and high-nickel ternary cathode materials.However,accurately measuring the Li/Ni mixing degree is difficult due to the preferred orientation of labbased XRD measurements using Bragg–Brentano geometry.Here,we find that employing spherical harmonics in Rietveld refinement to eliminate the preferred orientation can significantly decrease the measurement error of the Li/Ni mixing ratio.The Li/Ni mixing ratio obtained from Rietveld refinement with spherical harmonics shows a strong correlation with discharge capacity,which means the electrochemical capacity of lithium nickel oxide and high-nickel ternary cathode can be estimated by the Li/Ni mixing degree.Our findings provide a simple and accurate method to estimate the Li/Ni mixing degree,which is valuable to the structural analysis and screening of the synthesis conditions of lithium nickel oxide and high-nickel ternary cathode materials.

Molecular Dynamics, Physical Properties, Diffusion Coefficients and Activation Energy of the Lithium Oxide (Li-O) and Sodium Oxide (Na-O) Electrolyte (Cathode)

This work is a simulation model with the LAMMPS calculation code of an electrode based on alkali metal oxides (lithium, sodium and potassium) using the Lennard Jones potential. For a multiplicity of 8*8*8, we studied a gap-free model using molecular dynamics. Physical quantities such as volume and pressure of the Na-O and Li-O systems exhibit similar behaviors around the thermodynamic ensembles NPT and NVE. However, for the Na2O system, at a minimum temperature value, we observe a range of total energy values;in contrast, for the Li2O system, a minimum energy corresponds to a range of temperatures. Finally, for physicochemical properties, we studied the diffusion coefficient and activation energy of lithium and potassium oxides around their melting temperatures. The order of magnitude of the diffusion coefficients is given by the relation Dli-O >DNa-O for the multiplicity 8*8*8, while for the activation energy, the order is well reversed EaNa-O > EaLi-O.

Viability of all-solid-state lithium metal battery coupled with oxide solid-state electrolyte and high-capacity cathode

Owing to the utilization of lithium metal as anode with the ultrahigh theoretical capacity density of 3860 mA h g^(-1)and oxide-based ceramic solid-state electrolytes(SE),e.g.,garnet-type Li7La_(3)Zr_(2)O_(12)(LLZO),all-state-state lithium metal batteries(ASLMBs)have been widely accepted as the promising alternatives for providing the satisfactory energy density and safety.However,its applications are still challenged by plenty of technical and scientific issues.In this contribution,the co-sintering temperature at 500℃is proved as a compromise method to fabricate the composite cathode with structural integrity and declined capacity fading of LiNi_(0.5)Co_(0.2)Mn_(0.3)O_(2)(NCM).On the other hand,it tends to form weaker grain boundary(GB)inside polycrystalline LLZO at inadequate sintering temperature for LLZO,which can induce the intergranular failure of SE during the growth of Li filament inside the unavoidable defect on the interface of SE.Therefore,increasing the strength of GB,refining the grain to 0.4μm,and precluding the interfacial defect are suggested to postpone the electro-chemo-mechanical failure of SE with weak GB.Moreover,the advanced sintering techniques to lower the co-sintering temperature for both NCM-LLZO composite cathode and LLZO SE can be posted out to realize the viability of state-of-the-art ASLMBs with higher energy density as well as the guaranteed safety.

Two-Dimensional Graphitic Carbon-Nitride(g-C_(3)N_(4))-Coated LiNi_(0.8)Co_(0.1)Mn_(0.1)O_(2) Cathodes for High-Energy-Density and Long-Life Lithium Batteries

High-capacity nickel-rich layered oxides are promising cathode materials for high-energy-density lithium batteries.However,the poor structural stability and severe side reactions at the electrode/electrolyte interface result in unsatisfactory cycle performance.Herein,the thin layer of two-dimensional(2D)graphitic carbon-nitride(g-C_(3)N_(4))is uniformly coated on the LiNi_(0.8)Co_(0.1)Mn_(0.1)O_(2)(denoted as NCM811@CN)using a facile chemical vaporization-assisted synthesis method.As an ideal protective layer,the g-C_(3)N_(4)layer effectively avoids direct contact between the NCM811 cathode and the electrolyte,preventing harmful side reactions and inhibiting secondary crystal cracking.Moreover,the unique nanopore structure and abundant nitrogen vacancy edges in g-C_(3)N_(4)facilitate the adsorption and diffusion of lithium ions,which enhances the lithium deintercalation/intercalation kinetics of the NCM811 cathode.As a result,the NCM811@CN-3wt%cathode exhibits 161.3 mAh g^(−1)and capacity retention of 84.6%at 0.5 C and 55°C after 400 cycles and 95.7 mAh g^(−1)at 10 C,which is greatly superior to the uncoated NCM811(i.e.129.3 mAh g^(−1)and capacity retention of 67.4%at 0.5 C and 55°C after 220 cycles and 28.8 mAh g^(−1)at 10 C).The improved cycle performance of the NCM811@CN-3wt%cathode is also applicable to solid–liquid-hybrid cells composed of PVDF:LLZTO electrolyte membranes,which show 163.8 mAh g^(−1)and the capacity retention of 88.1%at 0.1 C and 30°C after 200 cycles and 95.3 mAh g^(−1)at 1 C.

Study on Preparation of Cathode Material of Lithium Iron Phosphate Battery by Self-Craning Thermal Method

The cathode material of carbon-coated lithium iron phosphate(LiFePO4/C)lithium-ion battery was synthesized by a self-winding thermal method.The material was characterized by X-ray diffraction(XRD)and scanning electron microscope(SEM).The electrochemical properties of LiFePO4/C materials were measured by the constant current charge-discharge method and cyclic voltammetry.The results showed that the LiFePO4/C material prepared by the self-propagating heat method has a typical olivine crystal structure,and the product had fine grains and good electrochemical properties.The optimal sintering temperature is 700℃,the sintering time is 24 h,the particle size of the lithium iron phosphate material is about 300 nm,and the maximum discharge capacity is 121 mAh/g at 0.1 C rate.

High-Entropy Alloys to Activate the Sulfur Cathode for Lithium-Sulfur Batteries

Sulfur element possesses an ultrahigh theoretical specific capacity,while the utilization of sulfur in the whole cathode is lower obviously owing to the sluggish kinetics of sulfur and discharged products,limiting the enhancement on energy density of lithium-sulfur batteries.Herein,for the first time,Fe_(0.24)Co_(0.26)Ni_(0.10)Cu_(0.15)Mn_(0.25)high-entropy alloy is introduced as the core catalytic host to activate the electrochemical performance of the sulfur cathode for lithium-sulfur batteries.It is manifested that Fe_(0.24)Co_(0.26)Ni_(0.10)Cu_(0.15)Mn_(0.25)high-entropy alloy nanocrystallites distributed on nitrogen-doped carbon exhibit high electrocatalytic activity toward the conversion of solid sulfur to solid discharged products across soluble intermediate lithium polysulfides.In particular,benefiting from the accelerated kinetics by high-entropy alloy nanocrystallites and synergistic adsorption by nitrogen-doped carbon,the cathode exhibits high reversible capacity of 1079.5 mAh g_(-cathode)^(-1)(high utilization of 89.4%)with the whole cathode as active material,instead of sulfur element.Moreover,under both lean electrolyte(3μmg^(-1))and ultrahigh sulfur loading(27.0 mg cm^(-2))condition,the high discharge capacity of 868.2 mAh g_(-cathode)^(-1)can be still achieved for the sulfur cathode.This strategy opens up a new path to explore catalytic host materials for enhancing the utilization of sulfur in the whole cathode for lithium-sulfur batteries.

Boosting Lithium Storage in Graphene-Sandwiched Cathodes Containing Multi-Carbonyl Polyquinoneimine Nanosheets

Carbonyl polymers as booming electrode materials for lithium-organic batteries are currently limited by low practical capacities and poor rate performance due to their inherent electronic insulation and microscopic agglomeration morphologies.Herein graphene/carbonyl-enriched polyquinoneimine(PQI@Gr)composites were readily prepared by in situ hydrothermal polycondensation of dianhydride and anthraquinone co-monomer salts in the presence of graphene oxide(GO).Conductive graphene sheets derived from hydrothermal reduction of GO are fully sandwiched between densely interlaced quinone-containing polyimide nanosheets.Remarkably,the as-fabricated PQI@Gr cathodes exhibit much larger specific capacity(205 mAh g^(-1)at 0.1 A g^(-1)),higher carbonyl utilization(up to 89.9%),and better rate capability(179.4 mAh g^(-1)at 5.0 A g^(-1))due to a surface-dominated capacitive process via fast kinetics compared to bare PQI electrode(162.5 mAh g^(-1)at 0.1 A g^(-1);67.5%;96.9 mAh g^(-1)at 5 A g^(-1)).The capacity retention as high as 73%for PQI@Gr is also achieved over ultra-long 10000 cycles at 5.0 A g^(-1).Such outstanding electrochemical performances are attributable to the combined merits of polyimides and polyquinones,and robust 3D hierarchical heterostructures with efficient conductive networks,abundant porous channels for electrolyte infiltration and ion accessibility,and highly exposed carbonyl groups.This work offers new insights into the development of high-performance polymer electrodes for sustainable batteries.

Zr-doping stabilizes spinel LiMn_(2)O_(4)as a low cost long cycle life cathode for lithium ion batteries

The present commercial spinel LiMn_(2)O_(4) delivers only 90 m Ah/g–115 m Ah/g,far lower than the theoretical specific capacity.It degrades fast caused by the Jahn–Teller effect,Mn dissolution and related side reactions that consume Li inventory.In this work,Zr doping is employed to improve the structural stability and electrochemical performance of spinel LiMn_(2)O_(4).Li_(1.06)Mn_(1.94-x)Zr_xO_4(x=0,0.01,0.02,0.04)have been successfully synthesized by a simple solid-state reaction method and evaluated as cathode for lithium ion batteries(LIB).Li_(1.06)Mn_(1.92)Zr_(0.02)O_4 is superior cathode material with a high capacity of 122 m Ah/g at 1-C rate;long cycle stability,98.39%retention after 100 cycles at 1-C rate,excellent high rate performance 107.1 m Ah/g at 10-C rate,and high temperature performance 97.39%retention after 60 cycles.These are thought to be related to Zr doping effectively stabilizing the spinel LiMn_(2)O_(4),by forming stronger Zr–O bonds in the octahedron,suppressing the Jahn–Teller effect,thus improving electrochemical performance.

Facile construction of a multilayered interface for a durable lithium‐rich cathode

Layered lithium-rich manganese-based oxide(LRMO)has the limitation of inevitable evolution of lattice oxygen release and layered structure transformation.Herein,a multilayer reconstruction strategy is applied to LRMO via facile pyrolysis of potassium Prussian blue.The multilayer interface is visually observed using an atomic-resolution scanning transmission electron microscope and a high-resolution transmission electron microscope.Combined with the electrochemical characterization,the redox of lattice oxygen is suppressed during the initial charging.In situ X-ray diffraction and the high-resolution transmission electron microscope demonstrate that the suppressed evolution of lattice oxygen eliminates the variation in the unit cell parameters during initial(de)lithiation,which further prevents lattice distortion during long cycling.As a result,the initial Coulombic efficiency of the modified LRMO is up to 87.31%,and the rate capacity and long-term cycle stability also improved considerably.In this work,a facile surface reconstruction strategy is used to suppress vigorous anionic redox,which is expected to stimulate material design in high-performance lithium ion batteries.

Effect of Mn-doping on performance of Li_3V_2(PO_4)_3/C cathode material for lithium ion batteries

Li3V2-2/3xMnx（PO4）3（0≤x≤0.12） powders were synthesized by sol-gel method. The effect of Mn2＋-doping on the structure and electrochemical performances of Li3V2（PO4）3/C was characterized by XRD, SEM, XPS, galvanostatic charge /discharge and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy（EIS）. The XRD study shows that a small amount of Mn2＋-doped does not alter the structure of Li3V2（PO4）3/C materials, and all Mn2＋-doped samples are of pure single phase with a monoclinic structure （space group P21/n）. The XPS analysis indicates that valences state of V and Mn are ＋3 and ＋2 in Li3V1.94Mn0.09（PO4）3/C, respectively, and the citric acid in raw materials was decomposed into carbon during calcination, and residual carbon exists in Li3V1.94Mn0.09（PO4）/C. The results of electrochemical measurements show that Mn2＋-doping can improve the cyclic stability and rate performance of these cathode materials. The Li3V1.94Mn0.09（PO4）3/C cathode material shows the best cyclic stability and rate performance. For example, at the discharge current density of 40 mA/g, after 100 cycles, the discharge capacity of Li3V1.94Mn0.09（PO4）3/C declines from initial 158.8 mA·h/g to 120.5 mA·h/g with a capacity retention of 75.9%; however, that of the Mn-undoed sample declines from 164.2 mA·h/g to 72.6 mA·h/g with a capacity retention of 44.2%. When the discharge current is increased up to 1C, the intial discharge capacity of Li3V1.94Mn0.09（PO4）3/C still reaches 146.4 mA·h/g, and the discharge capacity maintains at 107.5 mA·h/g after 100 cycles. The EIS measurement indicates that Mn2＋-doping with a appropriate amount of Mn2＋ decreases the charge transfer resistance, which is favorable for the insertion/extraction of Li＋.

A comprehensive review of pre-lithiation/sodiation additives for Li-ion and Na-ion batteries

Lithium/Sodium-ion batteries(LIB/SIB)have attracted enormous attention as a promising electrochemical energy storage system due to their high energy density and long cycle life.One of the major hurdles is the initial irreversible capacity loss during the first few cycles owing to forming the solid electrolyte interphase layer(SEI).This process consumes a profusion of lithium/sodium,which reduces the overall energy density and cycle life.Thus,a suitable approach to compensate for the irreversible capacity loss must be developed to improve the energy density and cycle life.Pre-lithiation/sodiation is a widely accepted process to compensate for the irreversible capacity loss during the initial cycles.Various strategies such as physical,chemical,and electrochemical pre-lithiation/sodiation have been explored;however,these approaches add an extra step to the current manufacturing process.Alternative to these strategies,pre-lithiation/sodiation additives have attracted enormous attention due to their easy adaptability and compatibility with the current battery manufacturing process.In this review,we consolidate recent developments and emphasize the importance of using pre-lithiation/sodiation additives(anode and cathode)to overcome the irreversible capacity loss during the initial cycles in lithium/sodium-ion batteries.This review also addresses the technical and scientific challenges of using pre-lithiation/sodiation additives and offers the insights to boost the energy density and cycle life with their possible commercial exploration.The most important prerequisites for designing effective pre-lithiation/sodiation additives have been explored and the future directions have been discussed.

Effect of Mg doping on electrochemical performance of Li_3V_2(PO_4)_3/C cathode material for lithium ion batteries

Li3Mg（2x）V（2-2x）（PO4）3/C（x=0,0.05,0.1,0.2） composites were synthesized by carbothermic reduction,using a self-made MgNH4PO4/MgHPO4 compound as Mg-doping agent.X-ray diffraction（XRD）,scanning electron microscope（SEM）,electrochemical performance tests were employed to investigate the effect of Mg doping on Li3V2（PO4）3/C samples.The results showed that a proper quantity of Mg doping was beneficial to the reduction of charge transfer resistance of Li3V2（PO4）3/C compound without changing the lattice structure,which led to larger charge/discharge capacity and better cycle performance especially at high current density.Li3Mg（2x）V（2-2x）（PO4）3/C sample with x=0.05 exhibited a better performance with initial charge/discharge capacity of146/128 mA·h/g and discharge capacity of 115 mA·h/g at 5C,while these two figures were 142/118 mA·h/g and 90 mA·h/g respectively for samples without Mg doping,indicating that a proper amount of doped Mg can improve the electrochemical performance of LVP sample.All of these proved that,as a trial Mg dopant,the synthesized MgNH4PO4/MgHPO4 compound exhibited well doping effect.

Influence of synthesis temperature on electrochemical performance of polyoxomolybdate as cathode material of lithium ion battery

In order to improve the electrochemical performance of polyoxomolybdate Na3[AlMo6O24H6]（NAM） as the cathode material of lithium ion battery, the NAM materials with small particle size were synthesized by elevatingthe synthesistemperaturein the solution.The as-prepared NAM materials were investigated by FT-IR, XRD, SEM and EIS. Their discharge-charge and cycle performance were also tested. The resultsshowthat the particle size decreasesto less than10μm at the temperature ofhigher than 40℃.When synthesized at 80℃,the NAMwiththe smallest particle size （-3μm）exhibitsthe best electrochemical performance such ashigh initial discharge capacity of 409 mA·h/gandcoulombic efficiency of 95% in the first cycle at 0.04C.

Electrochemical performance of a nickel-rich LiNi0.6Co0.2Mn0.2O2 cathode material for lithium-ion batteries under different cut-off voltages

A spherical-like Ni0.6Co0.2Mn0.2(OH)2precursor was tuned homogeneously to synthesize LiNi0.6Co0.2Mn0.2O2as a cathode material for lithium-ion batteries. The effects of calcination temperature on the crystal structure, morphology, and the electrochemical performance of the as-prepared LiNi0.6Co0.2Mn0.2O2were investigated in detail. The as-prepared material was characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, laser particle size analysis, charge–discharge tests, and cyclic voltammetry measurements. The results show that the spherical-like LiNi0.6Co0.2Mn0.2O2material obtained by calcination at 900°C displayed the most significant layered structure among samples calcined at various temperatures, with a particle size of approximately 10 μm. It delivered an initial discharge capacity of 189.2 mAh•g−1at 0.2C with a capacity retention of 94.0% after 100 cycles between 2.7 and 4.3 V. The as-prepared cathode material also exhibited good rate performance, with a discharge capacity of 119.6 mAh•g−1at 5C. Furthermore, within the cut-off voltage ranges from 2.7 to 4.3, 4.4, and 4.5 V, the initial discharge capacities of the calcined samples were 170.7, 180.9, and 192.8 mAh•g−1, respectively, at a rate of 1C. The corresponding retentions were 86.8%, 80.3%, and 74.4% after 200 cycles, respectively. © 2017, University of Science and Technology Beijing and Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.