Al-Doped Li[Ni0.78Co0.1Mn0.1Al0.02]O2 for High Performance of Lithium Ion Batteries

Li[NixCoyMnz]O2 (NCM) layered materials have been successfully adopted in commercial lithium ion batteries (LIBs). The presence of higher Ni content in cathode materials helps to improve the capacity. However, increased cation mixing on the surface of layered material leads to unstable structure. Aluminium (Al) doping is known to enhance the performance of cathode material by rendering thermal and structural stability. In this article, we synthesize Li[Ni0.8Co0.1Mn0.1]O2 (Bare NCM811) and Li[Ni0.78Co0.1Mn0.1Al0.02]O2 (Al-Doped NCM811) using simple co-precipitation process followed by calcination process. The electrochemical, morphological, and structural characteristics of the Al-Doped NCM811 are investigated and compared with the Bare NCM811. The discharge capacity of the Bare NCM811 and the Al-Doped NCM811 maintained 73.59% and 96.15% after the 100th cycle at a room temperature of 20 °C and 87.32% and 94.38% after the 50th cycle at an elevated temperature of 60 °C, respectively. The enhanced electrochemical performance of Al-Doped NCM811 is attributed to the improved thermal and structural properties of the electrode, as confirmed using differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) and particle compression tester (PCT).