Feasible synthesis of NCM811 cathodes with controllable Li/Ni cationic mixing for enhanced electrochemical performance via a nano grinding assisted solid‐state approach

This paper reports a feasible approach to offer LiNi0.8Co0.1Mn0.1O2 (NCM811) layered cathode materials with enhanced lattice ordering and improved electrochemical performance through a nano grinding assisted solid-state reaction. Different from the commercial precursor method, oxide raw materials, NiO, CoO and MnO2, rather than the hydroxides, was employed as the starting raw material which was milled into submicron size, pressed into pellets and crushed into granular powder. After calcination under oxygen atmosphere under different temperature, such a simple approach provides layered cathode materials with controllable Li/Ni disordering. Powder XRD results show that when sintered at 800°C, a largest I(003)/I (104) ratio is observed, indicating that the cationic disordering is the lowest, as been confirmed by the XRD refinement data, showing that only 1.08% Ni is misplaced at 3b site. For the electrochemical test, the pNCM800 sample presented an initial specific discharge capacity of 203 mAh/g at 0.1C, together with a capacity retention of 91.77% after 100 cycles at 0.5C. Compared to the value of the sample obtained at normal routine (163.8 mAh/g and 74.85%), the improvement in electrochemical behavior is obvious. Furthermore, the rate performance is also improved, with a specific capacity of 144.1 mAh/g even at 5C rate. The reason for such enhancement could be ascribed to the better kinetic process with low interfacial resistance and fast Li diffusion contributed from the promoted lattice ordering. The results obtained in the experiments greatly indicate the significance of the approach in controlling the Li/Ni disordering, and thus offer an alternative routine for the mass production of layered cathode materials besides the so-called precursor method.