Hierarchical Li_1.2Mn_0.54Ni_0.13Co_0.13O₂ hollow spherical as cathode material for Li-ion battery

Lithium-rich manganese-based layered materials have been considered as the most promising cathode materials for future high-energy-density lithium-ion batteries. However, a great loss of irreversible capacity at the initial cycle, poor cycle stability, and rate performance severely restrict its application. Herein, we develop a new strategy to synthesize hierarchical hollow Li_1.2Mn_0.54Ni_0.13Co_0.13O₂ microspheres using sucrose and cetyltrimethylammonium bromide as a soft template combined with hydrothermal assisted homogeneous precipitation method. The hollow microspheres are assembled by the primary particles with the size of 50 nm. As a result, the as-prepared material exhibits high reversible capacity, good cycling stability, and excellent rate property. It delivers a high initial discharge capacity of 305.9 mAh g⁻¹ at 28 mA g⁻¹ with coulombic efficiency of 80%. Even at high current density of 560 mA g⁻¹, the sample also shows a stable discharge capacity of 215 mAh g⁻¹. The enhanced electrochemical properties are attributed to the stable hierarchical hollow sphere structure and the appropriate contact area between electrode and electrolyte, thus effectively improve the lithium-ion intercalation and deintercalation kinetics.