High-Performance LiNiO2: A New Baseline for State-of-the-Art Ni-Rich Cathodes

Abstract

With the rapidly increasing market penetration of electric vehicles, more stringent energy density and cost targets are being required for advanced cathode materials. The current development of Li(Ni1-x-yMnxCoy)O2 cathodes (NMCs) has focused on increasing Ni content while decreasing expensive Co to maximize the energy density per cathode cost. Now, with the Ni content reaching over 80% in some commercially available NMCs, a fundamental understanding of a true state-of-the-art LiNiO2 material is essential for the development of next-generation, Ni-based, Co-free cathodes. In a collaborative project supported by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), a consortium team of multiple DOE national labs has conducted a deep-dive into the process-structure-electrochemical properties associated with realizing a true LiNiO2 cathode and its derivatives. In this presentation, high-performance LiNiO2 cathodes, developed by the consortium team, will be introduced and the critical factors that control their structures and properties will be discussed. Figure 1