It is highly desirable to realize high-energy-density lithium-ion batteries consisting of nickel-rich layered oxide cathodes (Ni-rich NMC) and Si-based anodes. A critical challenge for Ni-rich NMC is its fast capacity degradation. In addition, the low initial Coulombic efficiency of the Si-based anode consumes the electrochemically active lithium from the cathode and decreases the energy density of full batteries considerably. The researchers consider cathode and anode as a whole to simultaneously resolve the issues of both sides. Ni-rich LiNi0.65Mn0.20Co0.15O2(LR-Ni65) cathode consisting of a lithium-enriched gradient interphase layer (~20 nm) is designed to supply excess electrochemically active lithium to compensate lithium loss at the anode and enhance cycling stability through regulating Li/Ni disorder in the cathode structure.The researchers show that a LR-Ni65||Si/graphite pouch cell displays a capacity (3.29 Ah) greater than that for the counterpart using pristine Ni-rich NMC (2.95 Ah), as well as enhanced cycling stability. The good compatibility with current Ni-rich NMC processing and facile synthesis make the as-fabricated cathode material promising for practical commercial application.
The relative work has been published in ACS Energy Letters (https://doi.org/10.1021/acsenergylett.0c02487) with the title of "Prelithiated Li-Enriched Gradient Interphase toward Practical High-Energy NMC-Silicon Full Cell". The corresponding authors are Prof. Yongming Sun and Dr. Jun Lu. The co-first authors are Dr. Xiaoxiao Liu and Dr. Tongchao Liu.
Original link：https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acsenergylett.0c02487
