Controllable Solid Electrolyte Interphase in Nickel‐Rich Cathodes by an Electrochemical Rearrangement for Stable Lithium‐Ion Batteries

Abstract

Abstract The layered nickel‐rich materials have attracted extensive attention as a promising cathode candidate for high‐energy density lithium‐ion batteries (LIBs). However, they have been suffering from inherent structural and electrochemical degradation including severe capacity loss at high electrode loading density (>3.0 g cm −3 ) and high temperature cycling (>60 °C). In this study, an effective and viable way of creating an artificial solid–electrolyte interphase (SEI) layer on the cathode surface by a simple, one‐step approach is reported. It is found that the initial artificial SEI compounds on the cathode surface can electrochemically grow along grain boundaries by reacting with the by‐products during battery cycling. The developed nickel‐rich cathode demonstrates exceptional capacity retention and structural integrity under industrial electrode fabricating conditions with the electrode loading level of ≈12 mg cm −2 and density of ≈3.3 g cm −3 . This finding could be a breakthrough for the LIB technology, providing a rational approach for the development of advanced cathode materials.