SYNTHESIS AND MODIFICATION OF HIGH-NICKEL CATHODE MATERIALS FOR NEXT GENERATION LITHIUM-ION BATTERIES
The limited worldwide Cobalt resource has spurred demand for new cathode materials with reduced Cobalt reliance. Substituting Cobalt with Nickel giving high-Nickel cathode material is a promising solution due to its high energy density and cheaper price. However, the poor cycling stability of high-nickel cathode materials is the major challenge that hinders their widespread adoption in electric vehicles and other energy storage applications. This work reports a significant advance in the development of high-nickel cathode materials with improved cycling stability. Firstly, a scalable synthesis route is developed to produce high-nickel cathodes with favorable morphology and high nickel content of 92%. Various low-cost doping elements including Mg, Al and Ti are screened to improve the structure of high-nickel cathodes during cycling. A Dual Protective strategy with AlPO4 nanoparticles as a representative is introduced as a low cost and effective approach to prolong the cycle stability of high-nickel cathodes. Finally, single-crystalline high-nickel cathodes are synthesized, and their electrochemical performance is compared with polycrystalline cathodes. The synthesized high-nickel cathode materials exhibit excellent electrochemical performance and significantly improved cycling stability. This work demonstrates promising pathways towards the commercialization of high-nickel cathode materials for Lithium Ion Batteries.