Addressing voltage hysteresis in Li-rich cathode materials via gas–solid interface modification

Abstract

Li-rich layered materials have attracted much attention for their large capacity (>250 mA h g⁻¹) stemming from anion redox at high voltage. However, inherent problems, such as capacity decay and voltage decay/hysteresis during cycling, hinder their commercial progress. In this work, an oxygen vacancy-accompanied spinel interface layer is constructed by gas–solid reaction via NiCO₃ treatment at 650 °C, which reduces the asymmetry of anion redox and improves structural stability. Therefore, a 1 mol% NiCO₃-modified sample powerfully reduces the voltage hysteresis (∼0.23 V) in the first cycle, simultaneously exhibiting an excellent discharge capacity of 275 mA h g⁻¹ at 0.1 C with a capacity retention of 90% for 200 cycles at 1 C.