Feasibility of Cathode Surface Coating Technology for High‐Energy Lithium‐ion and Beyond‐Lithium‐ion Batteries

Abstract

Cathode material degradation during cycling is one of the key obstacles to upgrading lithium-ion and beyond-lithium-ion batteries for high-energy and varied-temperature applications. Herein, we highlight recent progress in material surface-coating as the foremost solution to resist the surface phase-transitions and cracking in cathode particles in mono-valent (Li, Na, K) and multi-valent (Mg, Ca, Al) ion batteries under high-voltage and varied-temperature conditions. Importantly, we shed light on the future of materials surface-coating technology with possible research directions. In this regard, we provide our viewpoint on a novel hybrid surface-coating strategy, which has been successfully evaluated in LiCoO -based-Li-ion cells under adverse conditions with industrial specifications for customer-demanding applications. The proposed coating strategy includes a first surface-coating of the as-prepared cathode powders (by sol-gel) and then an ultra-thin ceramic-oxide coating on their electrodes (by atomic-layer deposition). What makes it appealing for industry applications is that such a coating strategy can effectively maintain the integrity of materials under electro-mechanical stress, at the cathode particle and electrode- levels. Furthermore, it leads to improved energy-density and voltage retention at 4.55 V and 45 °C with highly loaded electrodes (≈24 mg.cm ). Finally, the development of this coating technology for beyond-lithium-ion batteries could be a major research challenge, but one that is viable.

Novel Surface Coating Strategies for Better Battery Materials

“…Furthermore, it also helps improve the surface coverage of the coatings on materials due to their similar gradient composition. 40 …”

Recent Advancements in Polymer-Based Composite Electrolytes for Rechargeable Lithium Batteries

“…In these layer-stacking structures, different components will have different functions and the synergism of each component can contribute to a high-performance composite electrolyte. 3 ] possess superior mechanical strength and demonstrate acceptable ionic conductivities at room temperature. However, large interfacial resistances, poor stability versus Li metal anodes and uncontrolled dendrite growth along grain boundaries restrict their further application.…”

“…After the commercialization of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) by the Sony Corporation in the 1990s, Li-based secondary batteries have received significant attention because of their high energy density, long cycle life and minimal memory effects [1][2][3]. Currently, commercially available lithiumion batteries utilize liquid electrolytes as the lithium-ion (Li + ) carrier, offering benefits such as high conductivity and excellent wetting ability for the electrodes [4][5][6].…”

“…Inorganic ceramic electrolytes, including Li phosphorus nitride [22] [28], Li 1+x Al x Ge 2−x (PO 4 ) 3 [29], Li 14 Zn(GeO 4 ) 4 [30], Li 10 GeP 2 S 12 [31,32] and xLi 2 S − (1 − x) P 2 S 5 [33,34], have been extensively investigated and developed in recent years. And among these, pioneering studies such as the one proposed by Kanno et al [31,32] have produced inorganic ceramic electrolytes that can provide superior conductions rivaling that of liquid electrolytes in ionic conductivity at room temperature.…”

Uniform Na+ Doping‐Induced Defects in Li‐ and Mn‐Rich Cathodes for High‐Performance Lithium‐Ion Batteries

“…[11][12][13][14][15][16] Doping is considered as an effective strategy to improve the performance of the LMR cathode materials. [34][35][36] Furthermore, the nano-sized coating layers are usually easy to crack during prolonged cycles, and the electrolyte would directly penetrate through the ruptured-surface of secondary particles and consequently dissolve the inner pristine-LMRs, resulting in enormous loss of TM ions and potential safety risks. However, most of the conventional doping strategies would induce the formation of a thin coating-layer on the surface because of their larger ionic radii in comparison to lithium; thus, the doped elements were aggregated at the surface instead of inside.…”