Tuning anionic bands and lattice stability by short-range disorder at nanoscale for ultrastable Co-free Li-rich cathode
摘要
Ordered layered honeycomb structures are crucial for the unique redox mechanism in Co-free Li-rich oxide materials (LMNO). However, oxygen release and irreversible cation migration originating from this distinctive structure during cycling have hindered the further commercialization of LMNO. Herein, we report a strategy to modulate the nanoscale atomic arrangement and electronic band structures by deliberately introducing an integrated short-range disorder in the Li-rich structure with Ce/F dual-doping (denoted as LMNO-CFSD). This work explicitly reveals the induction of this disordered structure and comprehensively investigates its effects on the lattice stability. As a result, the LMNO-CFSD cathode exhibits a high energy density of 934.8 Wh kgcathode−1, and achieves a remarkable lifespan of 800 cycles with 70.1% capacity retention at 1 C in LMNO-CFSD∥ graphite full cells. Spectroscopic studies corroborated by first-principles calculations reveal that this integrated short-range disorder with dual-doping effectively modulates the formation energy of oxygen vacancies. It also tailors the crystal and anionic band structure in the Li-rich phase, fundamentally mitigating detrimental oxygen release and transition metal migration during Li+ (de)intercalation. Our findings illuminate the crucial role of correlated disorder in enhancing the electrochemical properties of Li-rich layered oxides, thereby offering new design principles for high-performance cathode materials in next-generation lithium batteries.