Precursor effects on structural ordering and electrochemical performances of Ni-rich layered LiNi 0.8 Co 0.2 O 2 cathode materials for high-rate lithium ion batteries

Abstract Ni-rich layered oxides (LiNi 1-x M x O 2 , M = Co, Mn, Al, etc., x  1-x M x O 2 oxides and their electrochemical lithium storage performances. Herein, we intentionally evaluate the transition metal precursor effects on manipulating the structural ordering and associated electrochemical performances of the Ni-rich LiNi 0.8 Co 0.2 O 2 cathode material. The transition metal precursor in a special phase of carbonate hydroxide hydrate, i.e. , Ni 0.8 Co 0.2 (CO 3 ) 1-a (OH) 2a ·bH 2 O together with a tridimensional network structure is demonstrated as the desirable precursor as compared with different contrasts. The resulting LiNi 0.8 Co 0.2 O 2 cathode material shows significantly enhanced ordered layered structure and reveals remarkable high-rate capability along with excellent cycling stability. The LiNi 0.8 Co 0.2 O 2 cathodes can deliver 195, 148 and 128 mAh g −1 at 0.1, 1 and 5  C rates (1  C  = 200 mA g −1 ) and retain 95% of the initial discharge capacity after 100 electrochemical cycles at 1  C and 72% after 500 cycles at 5  C , respectively. This work sheds lights on understanding transition metal precursor effects on the synthetic control and maximizing electrochemical performances of Ni-rich layered cathode materials for high-rate lithium ion batteries.