Scalable synthesis of Li1.2Mn0.54Ni0.13Co0.13O2/LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4 sphere composites as stable and high capacity cathodes for Li-ion batteries

Abstract

Li-rich materials have become a very promising kind of cathode materials due to their high specific capacities and working potentials. Herein, we successfully synthesized a high voltage cathode of Li_1.2Mn_0.54Ni_0.13Co_0.13O₂ spheres coated with thin LiNi_0.5Mn_1.5O₄ layers via a simple co-precipitation method. The finally obtained composite cathode was examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), clearly confirming that the inner core was completely uniformly coated by the outer shell. X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) and energy dispersive spectrometry (EDS) results show that the products have no other component. The coated composite cathode exhibited a superior rate capacity and stable cycle performance in a voltage range of 2.0–4.8 V. The Li_1.2Mn_0.54Ni_0.13Co_0.13O₂/LiNi_0.5Mn_1.5O₄ microsphere cathode delivers high capacities of 249.5 and 96 mA h g⁻¹ at rates of 0.2C and 5C, respectively.