Facile preparation of carbon-LiNi1/3Co1/3Mn1/3O2 with enhanced stability and rate capability for lithium-ion batteries

In this work, we have prepared the carbon-LiNi1/3Co1/3Mn1/3O2 composite through a simple and cost-effective method at a relatively low temperature (i.e., 180 °C) via spray drying. Nitric acid-treated commercial Super P powder could be well dispersed among LiNi1/3Co1/3Mn1/3O2 particles, while untreated Super P powder is particularly difficult to be uniformly distributed. The obtained I(003)/I(104) of the treated Super P-LiNi1/3Co1/3Mn1/3O2, according to the X-ray diffraction pattern, is higher than 1.70, suggesting that the highly ordered structure of LiNi1/3Co1/3Mn1/3O2 is maintained after compositing via the proposed approach. The resulted cathode material shows superior rate capability and stability, delivering a specific capacity of 115.7 mAh g−1 even at 1.5 A g−1, and a capacity retention of 87.0% after 500 cycles. In contrast, pure LiNi1/3Co1/3Mn1/3O2 delivers only 57.4 mAh g−1 at 1.5 A g−1 and remains 35.2% after 500 cycles. Carbon-coated LiNi1/3Co1/3Mn1/3O2 prepared from the carbonization of sucrose delivers as high as 141.0 mAh g−1 at 0.1 A g−1, but remains only 47.5% after 100 cycles. The enhancement of rate capability and stability from the treated Super P-LiNi1/3Co1/3Mn1/3O2 is due to the facilitation of the electron conduction by introducing homogenously distributed carbon, and thanks to the well-maintained ordered structure of LiNi1/3Co1/3Mn1/3O2.