Key Takeaways & Executive Findings
- •• A lithium-borate coating with adjustable thickness is formed by controlling residual alkali, effectively reducing surface Li2CO3 from 38.07% to 28.26%. • The boric acid treatment creates a uniform coating layer, significantly enhancing cycling stability: capacity retention improves from 59.35% to 90.75% at 0.5C and from 63.81% to 91.94% at 1C. • The modified cathode delivers an initial capacity of 214.6 mAh·g−1, demonstrating the coating's beneficial effect on electrochemical performance. • This strategy offers a commercially viable solution to mitigate residual alkali issues in ultrahigh nickel cathodes, advancing lithium-ion battery technology for electric vehicles.
Abstract
To satisfy the demand for low-cost and long-range electric vehicles by the market, the commercialization of ultrahigh nickel cathode materials with high specific capacity and a wide electrochemical window is expected to facilitate the development of lithium-ion batteries. However, residual lithium compounds with a strong alkalinity cause difficulty in cathode preparation and indirectly affect the cycling stability of the cathode during cycling. Given the inevitability of the formation of residual alkali, a lithium-borate coating with an adjustable thickness was selected by controlling the formation of residual alkali. An additional lithium source was added to the synthesis process and converted into a thicker and more complete coating structure, which rendered the cathode with better cycle stability. As a result, the percentage of peak area of lithium carbonate on the surface-modified cathode surface exhibited a considerable decrease from 38.07% to 28.26%. The etching results show the formation of a uniform coating layer after boric acid treatment. The initial capacity of the treated cathode was 214.6 mAh·g−1 owing to the favorable effect of the surface coating, and the capacity retention raised from 59.35% to 90.75% and from 63.81% to 91.94% after cycling at 0.5 and 1 C current densities, respectively. The boric acid coating-modified strategy proposed in this paper considerably ameliorates the cycling stabilization of cathodes and provides superior commercial application value for ultrahigh nickel cathode materials.
1. Introduction
With the continuous advancement of global carbon emission reduction and continuous consumption of nonrenewable energy sources, the development of energy storage technology has received increasing attention. Lithium-ion batteries have drawn widespread concern for their outstanding specific energy density, relatively low manufacturing cost, and established industry chain [1–2]. The cathode is the most critical component of lithium-ion batteries, and its cost and performance largely determine the commercial application value of lithium-ion batteries [3–5]. Among candidates for lithium-ion batteries, ultrahigh nickel cathodes (Ni > 90at%), which possess excellent specific capacity and comparatively low production expense, are considered the most promising cathode materials [6–7]. Currently, most researchers are continuously increasing the nickel ratio to obtain a greater specific capacity; however, with the increase in the nickel content, several problems, such as performance degradation, lower capacity retention, and safety risks, are encountered by ultrahigh nickel cathodes [8–10].
Compared with nickel-rich cathodes, ultrahigh nickel cathodes suffer from more serious performance degradation and safety risks [11]. These problems in ultrahigh nickel cathodes are attributed to the presence of residual lithium compounds and oxygen loss resulting from the strong oxidizing and catalytic properties of Ni4+ [10]. Notably, the amount of residual lithium compounds increases with the Ni content [12–13]. The presence of residual lithium compounds seriously jeopardizes the interfacial stability of ultrahigh nickel cathodes [14–16], which leads not only to their structural degradation during cycling but also to the reduction in the number of migratable lithium ions. Efforts to minimize residual lithium compounds and improve cathode surface stability are critical to enhancing the performance of ultrahigh nickel cathodes.
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Aoyu Zhang, Lida Song, Zhaoyang Dong, Runguo Zheng, Zhishuang Song, Yanguo Liu, Jingsheng Xu, Zhiyuan Wang (2025). B-coating modulation strategy serving ultrahigh nickel cathodes. Int. Journal of Minerals, Metallurgy and Materials (矿物冶金与材料学报). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12613-025-3093-y
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the main challenge addressed in this paper?
The paper addresses the issue of residual lithium compounds on ultrahigh nickel cathodes, which cause difficulties in preparation and degrade cycling stability.
How does the boric acid coating improve cathode performance?
The boric acid treatment forms a uniform lithium-borate coating that reduces surface Li2CO3 and enhances cycling stability, improving capacity retention significantly.
What are the key quantitative results?
The surface Li2CO3 peak area decreased from 38.07% to 28.26%, and capacity retention improved from 59.35% to 90.75% at 0.5C and from 63.81% to 91.94% at 1C.
What is the significance of this work for electric vehicles?
The strategy offers a commercially viable method to stabilize ultrahigh nickel cathodes, enabling higher energy density and longer cycle life for lithium-ion batteries in electric vehicles.
What is the initial capacity of the treated cathode?
The treated cathode exhibits an initial capacity of 214.6 mAh·g−1.
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