Challenges and approaches of single-crystal Ni-rich layered cathodes in lithium batteries

Jiangtao Hu; Hongbin Wang; Biwei Xiao; Pei Liu; Tao Huang; Yongliang Li; Xiangzhong Ren; Qianling Zhang; Jianhong Liu; Xiaoping Ouyang; Xueliang Sun

doi:10.1093/nsr/nwad252

Challenges and approaches of single-crystal Ni-rich layered cathodes in lithium batteries

Natl Sci Rev. 2023 Sep 22;10(12):nwad252. doi: 10.1093/nsr/nwad252. eCollection 2023 Dec.

Authors

Jiangtao Hu¹, Hongbin Wang¹, Biwei Xiao², Pei Liu¹, Tao Huang¹, Yongliang Li¹, Xiangzhong Ren¹, Qianling Zhang¹, Jianhong Liu¹, Xiaoping Ouyang³, Xueliang Sun^{4

5}

Affiliations

¹ Graphene Composite Research Center, College of Chemistry and Environmental Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen518060, China.
² GRINM (Guangdong) Institute for Advanced Materials and Technology, Foshan528051, China.
³ School of Materials Science and Engineering, Xiangtan University, Xiangtan411105, China.
⁴ Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, University of Western Ontario, OntarioN6A 5B9, Canada.
⁵ Eastern Institute for Advanced Study, Eastern Institute of Technology, Ningbo315020, China.

Abstract

High energy density and high safety are incompatible with each other in a lithium battery, which challenges today's energy storage and power applications. Ni-rich layered transition metal oxides (NMCs) have been identified as the primary cathode candidate for powering next-generation electric vehicles and have been extensively studied in the last two decades, leading to the fast growth of their market share, including both polycrystalline and single-crystal NMC cathodes. Single-crystal NMCs appear to be superior to polycrystalline NMCs, especially at low Ni content (≤60%). However, Ni-rich single-crystal NMC cathodes experience even faster capacity decay than polycrystalline NMC cathodes, rendering them unsuitable for practical application. Accordingly, this work will systematically review the attenuation mechanism of single-crystal NMCs and generate fresh insights into valuable research pathways. This perspective will provide a direction for the development of Ni-rich single-crystal NMC cathodes.

Keywords: attenuation mechanism; developing route; modification strategy; single-crystal NMC.

Publication types

Review