Self‐Medicating Molten‐Salt Synthesis of Bulk‐Stabilized High‐Energy Cathodes for Li‐Ion Batteries
High-energy lithium-ion batteries necessitate stable Ni-rich layered cathodes, yet critical challenges such as lattice distortion and surface structure collapse remain unresolved. While conventional high-valence doping greatly alleviates surface degradations, it is ineffective in stabilizing bulk lattice due to dopant segregation. Here, we propose a slightly Li-rich (SLR) lattice design by partially substituting transition-metal (TM) ions with Li<sup>+</sup> ions in TM layers, reducing electrostatic repulsion against high-valence dopants. Integrated theory-experiment analyses reveal uniform bulk doping of Mo<sup>6+</sup> in SLR cathodes, realized via a self-medicating and scalable molten-salt synthesis route. An optimized high-energy cathode (880 Wh kg<sup>-1</sup> <sub>cathode</sub>) achieves 89% retention after 1000 cycles in Ah-scale pouch cells, sustains 10C ultrafast charging/discharging for 300 cycles (3.8 min to 80% state-of-charge), and operates stably in all-solid-state batteries. Multimodal characterizations link uniform Mo<sup>6+</sup> doping to suppressed lattice strain and structural collapse. This work establishes a new paradigm for bulk lattice engineering of advanced battery cathodes.
Authors
- Chenji Hu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0713-5499)
- Yong Wang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0496-8700)
- Shenzhen Xu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7268-9917)
- Xiaoqiao Li
- Han Wang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0923-3866)
- Qinfeng Zheng (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6670-3919)
- Chun Cheng (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9812-8875)
- Taiping Hu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4999-6892)
- Yu‐Shi He (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9971-8474)
- Jingyu Chen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1275-0656)
- Zi‐Feng Ma (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5002-9766)
- Wei Zhang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6414-7015)
- Yixiao Zhang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2807-3936)
- Liwei Chen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4160-9771)
- Fanxiu Feng
- Yilin Chen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0001-9913-1056)
- Linsen Li (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1105-9070)
Institutions
- Shanghai Jiao Tong University (CN)
- Peking University (CN)
- Nankai University (CN)
- Chengdu Tool Research Institute (China) (CN)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Angewandte Chemie International Edition
- Published
- 2025-09-04
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1002/anie.202512729
- Primary Topic
- Advancements in Battery Materials
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- Science and Technology Commission of Shanghai Municipality
- National Key Research and Development Program of China