Design and host-involved in situ fabrication of La4NiLiO8 coating on Ni-rich cathode materials towards superior structural stability

Although Ni-rich cathodes have been considered as prospective candidates for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) due to their high capacities and low consumption, the poor cycling and rate performances hinder their commercialization. Herein, we report a strategy for the in situ preparation of a La4NiLiO8 coating on the LiNi0.8Co0.1Mn0.1O2 cathode material through partially sacrificing Ni ions from the cathode substrate by a primitive solid-state method. The La4NiLiO8 coating has a continuous interface and ultra-strong bonding with the LiNi0.8Co0.1Mn0.1O2 cathode material, which gives the modified LiNi0.8Co0.1Mn0.1O2 cathode an extremely high structural stability. Besides, the La4NiLiO8 coating endows LiNi0.8Co0.1Mn0.1O2 with a high surface electronic transfer rate. The Ni vacancies generated in the host phase due to the Ni participation in the fabrication of the coating is beneficial to reducing the Li+/Ni2+ disorder and boosting the Li+ diffusion kinetic characteristics of LiNi0.8Co0.1Mn0.1O2. Therefore, the La4NiLiO8-modified LiNi0.8Co0.1Mn0.1O2 displayed enhanced long-term cycling performances, in which the capacity retention of the modified LiNi0.8Co0.1Mn0.1O2 increased from 18.90% to 83.80% after 300 cycles at 5C, and the rate performance was improved.