Conformal Coating of a High-Voltage Spinel to Stabilize LiCoO2 at 4.6 V

The ever-growing demand for portable electronic devices has put forward higher requirements on the energy density of layered LiCoO2 (LCO). The unstable surface structure and side reactions with electrolytes at high voltages (>4.5 V) however hinder its practical applications. Here, considering the high-voltage stability and three-dimensional lithium-ion transport channel of the high-voltage Li-containing spinel (M = Ni and Co) LiMxMn2-xO4, we design a conformal and integral LiNixCoyMn2-x-yO4 spinel coating on the surface of LCO via a sol-gel method. The accurate structure of the coating layer is identified to be a spinel solid solution with gradient element distribution, which compactly covers the LCO particle. The coated LCO exhibits significantly improved cycle performance (86% capacity remained after 100 cycles at 0.5C in 3-4.6 V) and rate performance (150 mAh/g at a high rate of 5C). The characterizations of the electrodes from the bulk to surface suggest that the conformal spinel coating acts as a physical barrier to inhibit the side reactions and stabilize the cathode-electrolyte interface (CEI). In addition, the artificially designed spinel coating layer is well preserved on the surface of LCO after prolonged cycling, preventing the formation of an electrochemically inert Co3O4 phase and ensuring fast lithium transport kinetics. This work provides a facile and effective method for solving the surface problems of LCO operated at high voltages.