Conductive Polymers Encapsulation To Enhance Electrochemical Performance of Ni-Rich Cathode Materials for Li-Ion Batteries.

Ni-rich cathode materials have drawn lots of attention owing to its high discharge specific capacity and low cost. Nevertheless, there are still some inherent problems that desiderate to be settled, such as cycling stability and rate properties as well as thermal stability. In this article, the conductive polymers that integrate the excellent electronic conductivity of polyaniline (PANI) and the high ionic conductivity of poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) are designed for the surface modification of LiNi0.8Co0.1Mn0.1O2 cathode materials. Besides, the PANI-PEG polymers with elasticity and flexibility play a significant role in alleviating the volume contraction or expansion of the host materials during cycling. A diversity of characterization methods including scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometer, transmission electron microscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, Fourier transform infrared have demonstrated that LiNi0.8Co0.1Mn0.1O2 cathode materials is covered with a homogeneous and thorough PANI-PEG polymers. As a result, the surface-modified LiNi0.8Co0.1Mn0.1O2 delivers high discharge specific capacity, excellent rate properties, and outstanding cycling performance.