Enhanced Electrochemical Performance of Li1.2Mn0.54Ni0.13Co0.13O2 Cathode with an Ionic Conductive LiVO3 Coating Layer

With the aim to enhance the Li+ ion conductivity, an ionic conductor, LiVO3, has been successfully coated on the surface of lithium-rich layered Li1.2Mn0.54Ni0.13Co0.13O2 cathode materials for the first time. After combining with LiVO3, significantly improved high-rate capability and cyclic stability of the Li-rich cathode have been achieved due to the enhanced lithium ion diffusion and stabilized electrode/electrolyte interface. Moreover, a stable three-dimensional spinel phase has been generated in the surface region during the coating process, which mitigates the structure deterioration and suppresses the voltage decay and energy density degradation. After optimization, 5 wt % LiVO3-coated–Li1.2Mn0.54Ni0.13Co0.13O2 exhibits superior electrochemical performance with a higher reversible capacity of 272 mA h g–1, increased initial Coulombic efficiency of 92.6%, and an excellent high-rate capability of 135 mA h g–1 at 5 C, respectively. The coexistence of an ionic conductor coating layer and the locally transformed spinel structure generated in a one-step approach provides a novel design concept for surface modification on Li-rich Mn-based cathode materials toward high-performance lithium-ion batteries.