One-step surface-to-bulk modification of single-crystalline Ni-rich Co-poor cathodes for high-rate and long-life Li-ion batteries at high-voltage operations

• Published in: Chemical engineering journal (Lausanne, Switzerland : 1996) Switzerland : 1996), 2024-10, Vol.498, p.155617, Article 155617
• Main Authors: Zhang, Hujun, Yu, Haifeng, Zhang, Erdong, Cheng, Qilin, Cheng, Qian, Jiang, Hao
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: High power density; Li-ion batteries; Ni-rich cathodes; Single-crystalline
• ISSN: 1385-8947
• DOI: 10.1016/j.cej.2024.155617

[Display omitted] •The novel In-doped and Li3InO3 coated single-crystalline Ni-rich cathodes are reported.•The serious Li/Ni disordering and sluggish Li-ion diffusion kinetics are ameliorated.•The as-obtained Ni-rich cathodes exhibits superior cycling stability and high-power density. Single-crystalline Ni-rich Co-poor cathodes operating at high-voltage are attractive owing to their higher energy density for meeting the requirements of next-generation Li-ion batteries, yet they usually suffer from sluggish Li-ion diffusion kinetics and serious Li/Ni disordering. Herein, an in-situ co-precipitation strategy is implemented to achieve the novel In-doped and Li3InO3 coated single-crystalline LiNi0.90Co0.05Mn0.05O2 cathodes with a highly ordered layered structure. The In-doping facilitates grain growth by decreasing the surface energy of crystal faces, reducing the synthesis temperature by about 20 °C, which thus drastically suppresses Li/Ni disordering and lattice oxygen loss. Furthermore, the pillar effect of In-ion doping and the in-situ formation of the ultrafast Li-ion conductive Li3InO3 coating synergistically enhance the Li-ion diffusion kinetics. These merits enable the as-obtained Ni-rich Co-poor cathodes with a high reversible capacity of 229.4 mAh g−1 at 0.1C and 124.6 mAh g−1 at 7C. In a pouch-type full cell, 93.9 % of the initial capacity is still maintained after 500 cycles at 1C within 2.7–4.5 V. This finding opens up a new path for improving the rate performance and cycle life of single-crystalline Ni-rich cathodes for high-voltage Li-ion batteries.