Ring-shaped all manganese-based lithium-rich oxide cathode with high performance and stability via biomineralization method

Abstract

As free from cobalt and nickel, all manganese-based lithium-rich layered oxides (AMLROs) are promising cathode materials with low cost and high theoretical energy density. This study introduced yeast as a biomineralization template to regulate the crystallization and growth of precursors at the molecular level. The mechanism of structural evolution was investigated in detail, offering a new approach to control the morphology of lithium-rich materials. The resulting AMLRO-54 exhibited a micro-nano composite ring-shaped structure with particle size around 2 μm. The unique hierarchical particles provided large flexible volume, leading to superior structural stability and high rate capability. The reversible capacity of ring-shaped AMLRO-54, without any other modifications, was 274.1 mAh·g−1 at 0.1 C. Once extra carbon material was added to improve the inferior electronic conductivity, the initial capacity of AMLRO-54 at 1 C reached 242.9 mAh·g−1 with a retention rate of 90.9 % after 300 cycles (221.0 mAh·g−1). Furthermore, this cobalt and nickel-free cathode material significantly mitigates material costs and environmental hazards, thereby promoting the development of lithium-ion batteries in the future.