Ni-rich cathode materials are a low-cost
and high-energy density
solution for high-power lithium-ion batteries. However, Li+/Ni2+ cation mixing and oxygen vacancies are inevitably
formed during the high-temperature calcination process, resulting
in a poor crystal structure that adversely affects the electrochemical
performance. In this work, the LiNi0.8Co0.15Al0.05O2 cathode material with a regular crystal
structure was prepared through oxygen pressurization during lithiation–calcination,
which effectively solved the problems caused by the high calcination
temperature, such as oxygen loss and a reduction of Ni3+. The co-effect of oxygen pressure and calcination temperature on
the properties of Ni-rich materials was systematically explored. Oxygen
pressurization increased the redox conversion temperature, thus promoting
the oxidation of Ni2+ and reducing Li+/Ni2+ cation mixing. Moreover, due to the strong oxidizing environment
provided by the elevated calcination temperature and oxygen pressurization,
the LiNi0.8Co0.15Al0.05O2 material synthesized under 0.4 MPa oxygen pressure and a calcination
temperature of 775 °C exhibited few oxygen vacancies, which in
turn suppressed the formation of microcracks during the electrochemical
cycling. An additional feature of the LiNi0.8Co0.15Al0.05O2 material was the small specific surface
area of the particles, which reduced both the contact area with the
electrolyte and side reactions. As a result, the LiNi0.8Co0.15Al0.05O2 material exhibited
remarkable electrochemical performance, with an initial discharge
capacity of 191.6 mA h·g–1 at 0.1 C and a capacity
retention of 94.5% at 0.2 C after 100 cycles.