Sulfate-Containing Composite Based on Ni-Rich Layered Oxide LiNi0.8Mn0.1Co0.1O2 as High-Performance Cathode Material for Li-ion Batteries

Composite positive electrode materials (1−x) LiNi0.8Mn0.1Co0.1O2∙xLi2SO4 (x = 0.002–0.005) for Li-ion batteries have been synthesized via conventional hydroxide or carbonate coprecipitation routes with subsequent high-temperature lithiation in either air or oxygen atmosphere. A comparative study of the materials prepared from transition metal sulfates (i.e., containing sulfur) and acetates (i.e., sulfur-free) with powder X-ray diffraction, electron diffraction, high angle annular dark field transmission electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and electron energy loss spectroscopy revealed that the sulfur-containing species occur as amorphous Li2SO4 at the grain boundaries and intergranular contacts of the primary NMC811 crystallites. This results in a noticeable enhancement of rate capability and capacity retention over prolonged charge/discharge cycling compared to their sulfur-free analogs. The improvement is attributed to suppressing the high voltage phase transition and the associated accumulation of anti-site disorder upon cycling and improving the secondary agglomerates’ mechanical integrity by increasing interfacial fracture toughness through linking primary NMC811 particles with soft Li2SO4 binder, as demonstrated with nanoindentation experiments. As the synthesis of the (1−x) LiNi0.8Mn0.1Co0.1O2∙xLi2SO4 composites do not require additional operational steps to introduce sulfur, these electrode materials might demonstrate high potential for commercialization.