Facile synthesis of Li2MoO4 coated LiNi1/3Co1/3Mn1/3O2 composite as a novel cathode for high-temperature lithium batteries

Abstract

High-temperature lithium battery system operated between 150 and 300 °C is highly desirable to be applied in oil/gas and geothermal explorations. However, the development of cathode material for high-temperature lithium batteries is relatively sluggish. In this study, LiNi1/3Co1/3Mn1/3O2 (NCM) is coated with Li2MoO4 by a facile solid-state reaction between MoO3 and surface lithium residue and the resulting composite is applied in high-temperature lithium batteries as a novel cathode material. Such a strategy can not only remove lithium residue components, but also facilitate lithium-ion transport in NCM through the resulting Li2MoO4 coating layer. At 200 °C, the discharge capacity and rate capacity of Li2MoO4 coated NCM are dramatically improved compared to the pristine one. At 300 °C, the electrochemical performance of 4m-NCM is better than other samples, and each sample exhibits better electrochemical performances than it is at 200 °C due to the enhanced kinetics in high temperature.