Chiral Molecular Coating of a LiNiCoMnO2 Cathode for High-Rate Capability Lithium-Ion Batteries

The growing demand for energy has increased the need for battery storage, with lithium-ion batteries being widely used. Among those, nickel-rich layered lithium transition metal oxides [LiNi1–x–y Co x Mn y O2 NCM (1 – x – y > 0.5)] are some of the promising cathode materials due to their high specific capacities and working voltages. In this study, we demonstrate that a thin, simple coating of polyalanine chiral molecules improves the performance of Ni-rich cathodes. The chiral organic coating of the active material enhances the discharge capacity and rate capability. Specifically, NCM811 and NCM622 electrodes coated with chiral molecules exhibit lower voltage hysteresis and better rate performance, with a capacity improvement of >10% at a 4 C discharge rate and an average improvement of 6%. We relate these results to the chirally induced spin selectivity effect that enables us to reduce the resistance of the electrode interface and to reduce dramatically the overpotential needed for the chemical process by aligning the electron spins.