Tailoring the Reaction Heterogeneity for Robust Li-Rich Cathodes

The practical application of Li-rich Mn-based layered oxides (LLO) cathode is hindered by severe capacity and voltage degradation resulting from severe oxygen release and irreversible phase transition. Herein, the reaction heterogeneity, which describes the spatially resolved electrochemical divergence within individual cathode particles, is engineered through compositional gradient design to couple Li⁺ transport kinetics and the anion redox activity between particle interiors and surfaces. It is revealed that Co/Mn concentration gradient within particles creates heterogeneous phase content distribution and structural ordering, inducing surface-bulk reaction heterogeneity that significantly impacts the overall electrochemical performance. Specifically, Li₂MnO₃-poor and Co-enriched surface effectively mitigates the oxygen loss and enhances electrochemical reaction kinetics, benefited from the reduced surface redox reactivity and induced highly ordered intra-layered cationic arrangement. Meanwhile, the Li₂MnO₃-enriched core with slight Li/Ni intermixing provides high reversible capacity and strong mechanical stability. Consequently, the greatly enhanced anion redox reversibility, Li⁺ diffusion dynamics, and structure stability endow LLO with exceptional electrochemical properties, showing a capacity retention of 86.0% and a reduced voltage decay of 0.518 mV per cycle after 500 cycles at 1 C. This work provides a valuable strategy to tailor the redox chemistry and achieve robust LLO.