Functional Surface Modification Research Articles

Surface layer reinforcement modification for wood with high strength and flame retardancy performances

The high-value utilization of low-value wood can effectively address the shortage of wood resource, while also contributing to the global green sustainable development and the implementation of “dual carbon” strategy. The present study employed an innovative technology to achieve controllable surface reinforcement modification of fast-growing poplar wood, resulting in improved strength and exceptional flame retardancy for structural applications. The achievement was realized through a three-step method, involving delignification, impregnation, and surface densification, while minimizing the loss of wood volume. The results demonstrated that surface functional densification can significantly improve the mechanical properties of fast-growing poplar wood, with the modulus of rupture (MOR) and modulus of elasticity (MOE) reaching 140.6 MPa and 11.8 GPa, respectively, representing a 3.4-fold and 2.5-fold increase compared to the control group (CK). The samples were found to possess thin surface-densified layers, while the core layer remained unaltered, thereby exhibiting a sandwich structure with significant disparity in density between the layers, reaching up to a factor of 2. The pores structure of the surface layers underwent significant densification, with a gradual deformation distributed throughout its thickness direction. A process optimized for surface densification involving a 2-hour delignification duration and a pressure of 3 MPa. The sample subjected to surface functional modification exhibited a 90-second delay in the peak of heat release compared with the CK. The heat release rate (HRR) experienced a significant deceleration, accompanied by notable reductions in total heat release (THR) and smoke production rate (SPR). The mechanisms underlying the enhancement of surface functionality were elucidated from the perspectives of physical mechanics, microstructure, and flame retardancy, providing a theoretical foundation for the efficient utilization of fast-growing wood.

Construction of rGO-MXene@FeNi/epoxy composites with regular honeycomb structures for high-efficiency electromagnetic interference shielding

With the rapid development of 5G communication technology and wearable electronic devices, the demand for low-reflection electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding materials is becoming increasingly urgent. In this work, reduced graphene oxide-MXene (rGMH) @FeNi/epoxy EMI shielding composites with a regular honeycomb structure were successfully prepared by the combination of surface functionalization modification, sacrificial template, and freeze-drying. The effects of magnetic FeNi alloy particle loading mode and loading amount on the EMI shielding performance of composites were investigated. The results show that rGMH@FeNi/epoxy EMI shielding composites have the highest EMI shielding effectiveness (EMI SE) and the lowest reflection shielding effectiveness when magnetic FeNi alloy particles are loaded only on the graphene skeleton. In this composite, the EMI SE value of the composite is 61 dB when the rGMH@FeNi mass fraction is 5.4 wt% (f-FeNi mass fraction is 0.9 wt%), which is 4.7 times that of the blended rGO/MXene/FeNi/ epoxy resin composite (13 dB) with the same mass fraction. At the same time, the rGMH@FeNi/epoxy composite has excellent thermal stability (heat-resistance index of 190.3 °C) and mechanical properties (energy storage modulus of 8606.7 MPa). These polymer-based EMI shielding composites with excellent EMI shielding properties and low reflection effectiveness have great potential in the protection of high-power, portable and wearable electronic devices against electromagnetic pollution.

Lithium-Ion battery silicon Anodes: Surface engineering with novel additives for enhanced ion and electron transport

Silicon (Si) stands as a promising candidate for high-capacity anode materials in the next-generation lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) due to extremely high specific capacity. However, silicon application is hindered by its inherently poor electron and ion conductivities, as well as structural instability during the repeated charging/discharging. To address these challenges, a novel functional surface modification agent, diethylenetriaminepenta(methylenephosphonic) acid (DTPMP), was decorated on the surface of silicon particles for the first time. The experimental results demonstrate that the DTPMP effectively enhances the cohesion between nano Si particles. This study combines experimental observations with theoretical calculations to analyze the nucleophilic and electrophilic sites of DTPMP and carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC), elucidating the existence state of DTPMP on the nano Si surface. Furthermore, by examining the highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) and the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO), along with the electrostatic potential (ESP) of DTPMP and solvent molecules in conjunction with Li+, the impact of the phosphate group on the diffusion of Li+ and electrons at the nano Si surface was studied. The electron density difference (EDD) maps for DTPMP and CMC reveal that DTPMP exhibits a more pronounced response in the presence of an electric field, suggesting its enhanced role in facilitating Li+ diffusion. This research offers a novel perspective on enhancing the electrochemical performance of nano Si surfaces, paving the way for the development of advanced LIBs with improved energy storage capabilities.

Advances in MXene surface functionalization modification strategies for CO2 reduction.

MXenes, 2D transition metal carbides and nitrides, show great potential in electrocatalytic CO2 reduction reaction (ECO2RR) applications owing to their tunable structure, abundant surface functional groups, large specific surface area and remarkable conductivity. However, the ECO2RR has a complex pathway involving various reaction intermediates. The reaction process yields various products alongside a competitive electrolytic water-splitting reaction. These factors limit the application of MXenes in ECO2RRs. Therefore, this review begins by examining the functionalized modification of MXenes to enhance their catalytic activity and stability via the regulation of interactions between carriers and the catalytic centre. The review firstly covers the synthesis methods and characterisation techniques for functionalized MXenes reported in recent years. Secondly, it presents the methods applied for the functionalized modification of carriers through surface loading of single atoms, clusters, and nanoparticles and construction of composites. These methods regulate the stability, active sites, and metal-carrier electronic interactions. Finally, the article discusses the challenges, opportunities, pressing issues, and future prospects related to MXene-based electrocatalysts.

Synthesis, modifications, and applications of iron-based nanoparticles.

Magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) are appealing materials as assistant to resolve environmental pollution issues and as recyclable catalysts for the oxidative degradation of resistant contaminants. Moreover, they can significantly influence the advancement of medical applications for imaging, diagnostics, medication administration, and biosensing. On the other hand, due to unique features, excellent biocompatibility, high curie temperatures and low cytotoxicity of the Iron-based nanoparticles, they have received increasing attention in recent years. Using an external magnetic field, in which the ferrite magnetic nanoparticles (FMNPs) in the reaction mixtures can be easily removed, make them more efficient approach than the conventional method for separating the catalyst particles by centrifugation or filtration. Ferrite magnetic nanoparticles (FMNPs) provide various advantages in food processing, environmental issues, pharmaceutical industry, sample preparation, wastewater management, water purification, illness therapy, identification of disease, tissue engineering, and biosensor creation for healthcare monitoring. Modification of FMNPs with the proper functional groups and surface modification techniques play a significant role in boosting their capability. Due to flexibility of FMNPs in functionalization and synthesis, it is possible to make customized FMNPs that can be utilized in variety of applications. This review focuses on synthesis, modifications, and applications of Iron-based nanoparticles.

Nano‐LaMnO3 Modified Separator for Enhanced Redox Reaction Kinetics and Electrochemical Performance of Lithium‐Sulfur Batteries

AbstractThe “shuttle effect” and sluggish conversion reaction kinetics of polysulfides seriously hinder the practical application of Li−S batteries. In this study, nano‐sized LaMnO3 (N‐LMO) with typical perovskite structure combined with highly‐conductive carbon black (SP) was introduced on the commercial separator to fabricate a functional surface modification. It is found that the polar N‐LMO with abundant active sites offers strong chemisorption towards the soluble polysulfides meanwhile accelerates their redox conversion, and the conductive SP contributes to extra spots to reactivate the trapped sulfur species. Consequently, the synergistic effect of adsorption‐catalysis‐conduction built by the cooperative N‐LMO/SP modification greatly enhances the sulfur redox kinetics as well as suppresses the polysulfide shuttling not at the expense of weakening Li‐ion transport, which endows the Li−S cell with a high initial discharge capacity of 1143.6 mAh g−1 at 0.2 C and a capacity decay rate of only 0.072 % per cycle at 1 C over 500 cycles.

Unlocking the potential of magnetic biochar in wastewater purification: a review on the removal of bisphenol A from aqueous solution.

Bisphenol A (BPA) is an essential and extensively utilized chemical compound with significant environmental and public health risks. This review critically assesses the current water purification techniques for BPA removal, emphasizing the efficacy of adsorption technology. Within this context, we probe into the synthesis of magnetic biochar (MBC) using co-precipitation, hydrothermal carbonization, mechanical ball milling, and impregnation pyrolysis as widely applied techniques. Our analysis scrutinizes the strengths and drawbacks of these techniques, with pyrolytic temperature emerging as a critical variable influencing the physicochemical properties and performance of MBC. We explored various modification techniques including oxidation, acid and alkaline modifications, element doping, surface functional modification, nanomaterial loading, and biological alteration, to overcome the drawbacks of pristine MBC, which typically exhibits reduced adsorption performance due to its magnetic medium. These modifications enhance the physicochemical properties of MBC, enabling it to efficiently adsorb contaminants from water. MBC is efficient in the removal of BPA from water. Magnetite and maghemite iron oxides are commonly used in MBC production, with MBC demonstrating effective BPA removal fitting well with Freundlich and Langmuir models. Notably, the pseudo-second-order model accurately describes BPA removal kinetics. Key adsorption mechanisms include pore filling, electrostatic attraction, hydrophobic interactions, hydrogen bonding, π-π interactions, and electron transfer surface interactions. This review provides valuable insights into BPA removal from water using MBC and suggests future research directions for real-world water purification applications.

Surface Texturing and Wettability Modification by Nanosecond Pulse Laser Ablation of Stainless Steels

Laser surface texturing has attracted growing interest, particularly in functional surface modification. Lasers with nanosecond pulse widths and infrared wavelengths are commonly used for metallic surface texturing because of their low cost and potential for fabricating a large range of textures. In this research, a laser with a nanosecond pulse width and infrared wavelength was used for the surface texturing of 316 stainless steels. Standard grooved and near-isotropic surface textures, as well as novel porous texture and feather-like dendrite texture, were fabricated through single-time laser texturing. Water contact angle tests were performed on the post-process surfaces, and they showed wettability changes from superhydrophilic to superhydrophobic according to different types of textures. Discussion on the relationship between water contact angle and surface roughness, groove width/depth ratio, surface carbon and oxygen contents indicated that it is the surface morphology that impacts changes in wettability. The comprehensive formation mechanism of different textures and the wettability control mechanism through different textures have been systematically discussed. For the first time, the three-level (point-line-area) laser surface ablation mechanism has been established. The proposed findings can be used for future laser texturing process designs on metals using lasers with a nanosecond pulse width and an infrared wavelength for various applications including wettability modification.

Interfacial strengthening and processing of carbon fibers reinforced poly(ether‐ether‐ketone) composites: A mini‐review

AbstractCarbon fibers/poly(ether‐ether‐ketone) (CF/PEEK) composites have the advantages of excellent impact resistance, good moisture and heat resistance, ultra‐short molding cycle and recyclable secondary processing. Therefore, the investigation on CF/PEEK composites is an important development direction of low‐cost and high‐performance polymer‐based composites. However, due to the strong surface inertness of CF and the poor interface compatibility between CF and PEEK matrix, the mechanical properties of CF/PEEK composites are low. Moreover, PEEK matrix has the high melting point and large viscosity, making the processing of CF/PEEK composites very difficult. In this paper, the factors affecting the interfacial properties of CF/PEEK composites, the surface functionalization modification methods of CF, and the design & synthesis of interfacial compatibilizer are reviewed. The research progress and related academic achievements in interfacial strengthening and additive manufacturing technology of CF/PEEK composites are emphatically discussed. Finally, the development trends and application prospects of CF/PEEK composites are summarized.Highlights CF/PEEK composite is the key material for industry and infrastructure. The factors affecting the interface interaction between PEEK and CF. The methods of interface strengthening for CF/PEEK composites. The additive manufacturing technology of CF/PEEK composites. The development trends and application of CF/PEEK composites.

Functional surface modifications impact on the in vitro/in vivo toxicity and intracellular internalization behavior of mesoporous silica nanoparticles

The surface properties of nanocarriers, including morphology, charge and surface modification are closely associated with their in vivo toxicity, biodistribution and bioavailability, which further affect the therapeutic effect. Herein, a series of in vitro and in vivo studies, including hemolysis, protein adsorption, cytotoxicity, cellular uptake and in vivo acute toxicity were performed to investigate the influences of surface properties on the biocompatibility and intracellular internalization behavior of functionalized degradable dendritic mesoporous silica nanoparticles (DDMSNs). The results illustrated that hyaluronic acid-modified DDMSNs (DDMSNs-NH2-HA) nanocarriers showed lower hemolysis, non-specific protein adsorption and in vitro cytotoxicity compared to DDMSNs and aminated DDMSNs (DDMSNs-NH2). The HA-mediated efficient intracellular internalization and significant accumulation of DDMSNs-NH2-HA in A549 cells was observed by cellular uptake assays. Furthermore, compared to DDMSNs and DDMSNs-NH2 groups, no significant pathological abnormalities were found in the hematoxylin and eosin-stained sections of key organs induced by DDMSNs-NH2-HA nanocarriers for in vivo toxicity, indicating that the improvement of nanocarriers’ biocompatibility arose from HA modification. This work explored the influencing mechanism of surface properties on biological toxicity and intracellular internalization behavior of nanocarriers in vitro and in vivo, which provided an insight into the design of biocompatible nano-DDS by rational surface modifications.

SPIONs: Superparamagnetic iron oxide-based nanoparticles for the delivery of microRNAi-therapeutics in cancer.

Non-coding RNA (ncRNA)-based therapeutics that induce RNA interference (RNAi), such as microRNAs (miRNAs), have drawn considerable attention as a novel class of targeted cancer therapeutics because of their capacity to specifically target oncogenes/protooncogenes that regulate key signaling pathways involved in carcinogenesis, tumor growth and progression, metastasis, cell survival, proliferation, angiogenesis, and drug resistance. However, clinical translation of miRNA-based therapeutics, in particular, has been challenging due to the ineffective delivery of ncRNA molecules into tumors and their uptake into cancer cells. Recently, superparamagnetic iron oxide-based nanoparticles (SPIONs) have emerged as highly effective and efficient for the delivery of therapeutic RNAs to malignant tissues, as well as theranostic (therapy and diagnostic) applications, due to their excellent biocompatibility, magnetic responsiveness, broad functional surface modification, safety, and biodistribution profiles. This review highlights recent advances in the use of SPIONs for the delivery of ncRNA-based therapeutics with an emphasis on their synthesis and coating strategies. Moreover, the advantages and current limitations of SPIONs and their future perspectives are discussed.

Recent advancements in the specific determination of carcinoembryonic antigens using MOF-based immunosensors.

Carcinoembryonic antigens (CEAs) are prominent cancer biomarkers that enable the early detection of numerous cancers. For effective CEA screening, rapid, portable, efficient, and sensitive diagnosis approaches should be devised. Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are porous crystalline materials that have received major attention for application in high-efficiency signal probes owing to their advantages such as large specific surface area, superior chemical stability and tunability, high porosity, easy surface functional modification, and adjustable size and morphology. Immunoassay strategies using antigen-antibody specific interaction are one of the imperative means for rapid and accurate measurement of target molecules in biochemical fields. The emerging MOFs and their nanocomposites are synthesized with excellent features, providing promising potential for immunoassays. This article outlines the recent breakthroughs in the synthesis approaches of MOFs and overall functionalization mechanisms of MOFs with antigen/antibody and their uses in the CEA immunoassays, which operate according to electrochemical, electrochemiluminescent and colorimetric techniques. The prospects and limitations of the preparation and immunoassay applications of MOF-derived hybrid nanocomposites are also discussed at the end.

Using a simple coating strategy to evolve polylactic acid into sand-fixation material with nutrient-rich reservoir by strong H-bonding interaction at phase interface

Developing simple and eco-friendly methods for polylactic acid (PLA) modification and establishing strong interfacial interactions between phases are still worthwhile research topics. Only by enabling sand barriers to continuously provide water and fertilizer for sand-fixing plants can effective control of desertification be truly achieved. Herein, a simple and eco-friendly coating functionalmodification strategy for PLA was introduced, involving in-situ curing of urea-aldehyde (UF)/polyacrylic acid (PAA) prepolymer after coating on PLA and then continuous rolling. During the preparation process, –NH in the amide group and –OH in the carboxyl group of UF/PAA form strong intermolecular H-bonding with C = O of PLA, resulting in high interfacial bonding strength and significant improvement in mechanical and hydrophilic properties of the modified PLA mesh. Wind erosion resistance, water absorption and holding capacity, nutrient content, and plant growth of the treated sand all display a very positive response. Effective surface coating modification evolves PLA into a “nutrient-rich reservoir” for sand-fixing plants without affecting its performances, thus truly achieving the desired but never achieved effective combination of natural sand fixation and mechanical sand barrier fixation, exhibiting great significance for further improving application performances and expanding applying fields of PLA through surface functional modification that is easy to industrialize.

Surface Functional Modification for Boosting Power Density of Hydrovoltaic Devices

AbstractGenerating electricity based on the interaction between water and materials is a new green energy harvesting technology. However, the performance based on streaming potential generation is not sufficient to drive microelectronic devices with high power supply demands. In this work, an asymmetric sandwich structure is designed with adjustable performance of hydrovoltaic devices as a power system for micro‐electronic devices. The flexible hydrovoltaic device structure that only consumes renewable energy is low‐cost, non‐polluting, and highly sustainable, achieving a satisfied output power density exceeding 124.5 µW·cm−2 (2075 µW·cm−3). Both experimental results and theoretical calculations reveal that the working principle of the device depends on the evaporation potential rather than the streaming potential. In addition, the integration of multiple devices makes it easy to drive electronic devices for correct operation and energy storage. For the first time, this integrated hydroelectric photovoltaic device has demonstrated the ability to charge commercial button‐type lithium batteries with great success. The current work combines asymmetric structure and tunable performance, providing an alternative method for high‐efficiency hydrovoltaic devices with high power density.

Status of 3D Printing Technology for Preparing Bioceramic Materials

3D printing technology has great advantages in small batch and personalized customization, so it has attracted much attention in the biomedical field. The consumables available for 3D printing include polymer, metal, ceramic and derived materials. Biomedical ceramics, with high melting point and poor toughness, are the most difficult materials to be used in 3D printing. The progress of 3D printing ceramic preparation process using ceramic powder, ceramic slurry, ceramic wire, ceramic film and other different raw materials as consumables are reviewed, and the surface roughness, size, density and other parameters of ceramics prepared by SLS, 3DP, DIW, IJP, SL, DLP, FDM, LOM and other different processes are compared. The study also summarizes the clinical application status of 3D printed bioceramics in the field of hard tissue repair such as bone tissue engineering scaffolds and dental prostheses. The SL ceramic additive manufacturing technology based on the principle of UV polymerization has better manufacturing precision, forming quality and the ability to prepare large-size parts, and can also endow bioceramics with better biological properties, mechanical properties, antibacterial, tumor treatment and other functions by doping trace nutrients and surface functional modification. Compared with the traditional subtractive manufacturing process, the bioceramics prepared by 3D printing not only have good mechanical properties, but also often have better biocompatibility and osteoconductivity.

Modification of advanced low-dimensional nanomaterials towards high performance CO2 adsorption: an interpretative state-of-the-art review

Abstract Carbon capture continues to gain attention from researchers especially in light of alarming increase of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere in the recent decades. Among the available carbon capture technologies, both of physical and chemical adsorption is favourably seen with various applicable adsorbents successfully introduced. Such promising CO2 adsorbent candidates include low-dimensional nanomaterials such as graphene, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and fairly new MXenes. In this review, we will be covering the effects of various types of modifications and functionalization of these materials in enhancing the CO2 adsorption capacities. This includes functionalization with oxygenated and protic functional groups, heteroatoms doping, defect engineering and surface modification. It is observed that doping of graphene, amine-functionalization of CNTs and surface termination modification of MXenes are some of the most widely researched strategies. Since MXenes are a recent addition in the field of CO2 capture, we also covered some fundamental theoretical findings to introduce this new 2D nanomaterial to the readers. With this review, we aim to provide a better understanding on how modifications and functionalization process help to improve CO2 uptake in order to help synthesis of high-performance adsorbents in the future.

Superior role of LaB6 in enhancing O-scavenging efficiency during sintering Ti alloy from electrostatic self-assemble LaB6-coated Ti powder

LaB6 has been demonstrated as an effective O-scavenger for powder metallurgy (PM) Ti alloys to mitigate the detrimental effect of solid-solution O on the ductility. However, conventional mechanical mixing methods lead to the agglomeration and non-uniform distribution of LaB6, resulting in partial deactivation and reduced O-scavenging efficiency during sintering. Aiming at this issue, we propose an electrostatic self-assembly strategy that combined surface functional modification of LaB6 with solid-liquid fluidized bed powder coating treatment to synthesize a novel LaB6-coated Ti composite powder. Compared to traditional LaB6 additives in powder mixtures, the LaB6-coating particles exhibited excellent O-scavenging efficiency and higher utilization rate. Even at a low coating-content of 0.3 wt% LaB6, the tensile strength and elongation of the as-sintered Ti samples increased from 461 ± 26 to 579 ± 13 MPa and 5.6 ± 1.4% to 14.2 ± 0.3%, respectively. The achieved improvement rate (∼95%) in tensile elongation was significantly superior to the previously reported data of the rare-earth O-scavengers.

Investigation on the Corrosion Resistance Properties of Cobalt-Chromium-Molybdenum Alloy Artificial Human Body Components with Robust Biomimetic Superhydrophobic and Slippery Surfaces Based on Laser Texturing.

Cobalt-chromium-molybdenum alloy is used as a material for artificial human body components such as artificial hip joint and artificial denture and is often affected by electrochemical corrosion in human body fluids and saliva, which leads to inflammatory reactions and damage to the surrounding tissues as well as loosening and failure of the body components themselves. Few studies have been conducted to prepare corrosion-resistant coatings on the surface of Co28Cr6Mo. In this study, we used laser texturing to process a bionic 3D micronanocomposite structure on the surface of Co28Cr6Mo and quickly prepared a superhydrophobic and slippery surface coating with excellent corrosion resistance using polydimethylsiloxane solution and silicone oil modification. This surface had ultralow surface adhesion and good robustness of durability and abrasion resistance, reducing bacterial colonization or tissue adhesion and solving the problem of the lack of stability of the superhydrophobic surface. Microgrid grooves and layered nanoparticles were structurally responsible for the variation in wettability. The formation mechanism and composition of the prepared coatings were further analyzed. Electrochemical corrosion experiments were conducted on the surface in simulating body fluid and saliva environments, which showed the enhanced corrosion resistance of the prepared surface in the human body. These findings can further develop the surface functional modification of Co28Cr6Mo, accelerating basic and applied research studies on artificial human components.

A chlorogenic acid-chitosan complex bifunctional coating for improving osteogenesis differentiation and bactericidal properties of zirconia implants.

Poor osteogenesis caused by limited bioactivity and peri-implantitis caused by bacterial colonization are the main challenges affecting the use of zirconia-based materials in dental implants. Accordingly, the development of a surface treatment method with an antibacterial effect and that promotes osteogenesis without damage to cells is crucial for yttrium-stabilized tetragonal zirconia (Y-TZP) implants. Herein, we have developed a functional surface modification strategy whereby a poly (ethylene imine)/hyaluronic acid /chitosan-chlorogenic acid (PEI/HA/CGA-CS) conjugate is deposited on a zirconia surface by the layer-by-layer (LBL) technique, enhancing its osteogenic differentiation and antibacterial activities. The results showed that the PEI/HA/CGA-CS coating improved the wettability of the zirconia surface and maintained stable release of CGA. The PEI/HA/CGA-CS functional coating was found to promote early cell adhesion, proliferation, differentiation, and calcification. The results of bacterial adhesion and activity tests showed that the coating effectively inhibits the proliferation and activity of Porphyromonas gingivalis (P. gingivalis) and Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans (A. actinomycetemcomitans) without impairing the biological activity of osteoblasts. In addition, we found that the PEI/HA/CGA-CS coating enhances the osteogenesis of MC3T3-E1 cells by promoting the protein expression of Nephronectin (NPNT) and activating the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway. The above results are of profound significance for the practical application of zirconia-based implants. DATA AVAILABILITY: Data will be made available on request.

Functional Surface Coating to Enhance the Stability of LiNi0.6Mn0.2Co0.2O2

Parasitic reactions are responsible for continuous performance loss during the normal operation and storage of lithium-ion batteries, particularly for those using nickel-rich cathode materials. Among many contributors, residual Li2CO3 on the surface of nickel-rich cathodes plays a detrimental role in promoting parasitic reactions, and hence accelerates the performance loss of those cathode materials. In this work, a wet impregnation process was utilized to convert the detrimental Li2CO3 and LiOH impurities into a beneficial functional surface coating comprising phosphates. Specifically, hydro-phosphates were used as the functional surface modification agents to mitigate the detrimental effect of surface residuals. The best electrochemical performance was achieved by modifying LiNi0.6Mn0.2Co0.2O2 with a diluted dihydro-phosphate solution (pKa = 7.2), while the metal cation had a negligible impact on the electrochemical performance. This work provides a cheap and simple method for enabling the high performance of nickel-rich cathodes.