Synergistic effect of Li2MgTi3O8 coating layer with dual ionic surface doping to improve electrochemical performance of LiNi0.6Co0.2Mn0.2O2 cathode materials

Abstract

Surface modification plays a vital role in improving the rate performance and cycling stability of layered Ni-rich LiNi0.6Co0.2Mn0.2O2 (NCM622) cathode materials for Li-ion batteries. In this study, Li2MgTi3O8 (LMTO)-coated NCM622 was successfully synthesized by wet coating combined with sintering process. The results of morphological analysis showed a uniform LMTO layer coated on the surface of NCM622 materials. The dual ions of Ti4+ and Mg2+ on surface structure of NCM622 were identified by X-ray diffraction and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The surface coating layer prevented the direct contact between the active cathode material and the electrolyte which significantly reduced the side reactions, and the doping of Ti4+ and Mg2+ improved the structural stability of the NCM622 materials. The electrochemical performance indicates that NCM622 cathode with a coating layer of 0.5 wt% LMTO exhibited excellent cycle stability and maintained a capacity retention up to 76% after 200 cycles at 25 °C at 1 C-rate, which was higher than the value of 52% for the NCM622.