Lithium/Oxygen Incorporation and Microstructural Evolution during Synthesis of Li-Rich Layered Li[Li0.2Ni0.2Mn0.6]O2 Oxides

As promising cathode materials, the lithium-excess 3d-transition-metal layered oxides can deliver much higher capacities (>250 mAh g−1 at 0.1 C) than the current commercial layered oxide materials (≈180 mAh g−1 at 0.1 C) used in lithium ion batteries. Unfortunately, the original formation mechanism of these layered oxides during synthesis is not completely elucidated, that is, how is lithium and oxygen inserted into the matrix structure of the precursor during lithiation reaction? Here, a promising and practical method, a coprecipitation route followed by a microwave heating process, for controllable synthesis of cobalt-free lithium-excess layered compounds is reported. A series of the consistent results unambiguously confirms that oxygen atoms are successively incorporated into the precursor obtained by a coprecipitation process to maintain electroneutrality and to provide the coordination sites for inserted Li ions and transition metal cations via a high-temperature lithiation. It is found that the electrochemical performances of the cathode materials are strongly related to the phase composition and preparation procedure. The monoclinic layered Li[Li0.2Ni0.2Mn0.6]O2 cathode materials with state-of-the-art electrochemical performance and comparably high discharge capacities of 171 mAh g−1 at 10 C are obtained by microwave annealing at 750 °C for 2 h.