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Abstract Nowadays nickel-rich LiNi x Co y Mn 1-x-y O 2 (0.5 < x < 1) cathode materials attract great research interests due to their high specific capacity in lithium ion batteries. However, poor cycling performance and serious safety concerns trade off their benefits. Here, we present an effective etching-induced coating strategy for surface modification of LiNi 0.8 Co 0.1 Mn 0.1 O 2 cathode materials by LiAlO 2. Hydrolysis of AlCl 3 creates H+ to etch the hydroxide precursor of LiNi 0.8 Co 0.1 Mn 0.1 O 2 and to induce oriented deposition of Al(OH) 3 layer on surface of the hydroxide precursor, which is transformed into uniform γ-LiAlO 2 coating on the LiNi 0.8 Co 0.1 Mn 0.1 O 2 particles after the subsequent lithium impregnating and annealing. The 2.2 wt% LiAlO 2 -coated LiNi 0.8 Co 0.1 Mn 0.1 O 2 cathode delivers a high rate capacity of 135.2 mAh g−1 at 10 C and long cyclability with capacity retention of 85.8% after 200 cycles at 0.5 C. In addition, the thermal stability of LiAlO 2 -coated LiNi 0.8 Co 0.1 Mn 0.1 O 2 is significantly improved. The enhanced battery performances are due to partial Al3+ doping and Li+ conductive LiAlO 2 coating layer that provides well-connected networks for Li+ transport, improves the structural stability and prevents core materials from the attack by side products. Graphical abstract The detailed etching-induced coating strategy for the synthesis of LiAlO 2 -coated NCM811 materials. Image 1 Highlights • The etching-induced coating strategy was designed to prepare LiAlO 2 -coated NCM811. • The modified NCM811 exhibits better rate and cycle performance. • The modified NCM811 displays smaller overpotential especially at high rate. • The coating of LiAlO 2 significantly improves the thermal stability of NCM811. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]