Long-Life Nickel-Rich Layered Oxide Cathodes with a Uniform Li₂ZrO₃ Surface Coating for Lithium-Ion Batteries

As nickel-rich layered oxide cathodes start to attract worldwide interest for the next-generation lithium-ion batteries, their long-term cyclability in full cells remains a challenge for electric vehicles. Here we report a long-life Ni-rich layered oxide cathode (LiNi_0.7Co_0.15Mn_0.15O₂) with a uniform surface coating of the cathode particles with Li₂ZrO₃. A pouch-type full cell fabricated with the Li₂ZrO₃-coated cathode and a graphite anode displays 73.3% capacity retention after 1500 cycles at a C/3 rate. The Li₂ZrO₃ coating has been optimized by a systematic study with different synthesis approaches, annealing temperatures, and coating amounts. The complex relationship among the coating conditions, uniformity, and morphology of the coating layer and their impacts on the electrochemical properties are discussed in detail.