Topotaxially grown composite cathodes for cobalt-free high-energy long-life Li-ion batteries
The vehicle industry's increasing demand for electrification necessitates the removal of expensive and rare cobalt from current high-energy batteries. However, eliminating cobalt poses challenges due to its vital role in maintaining the layered structural ordering and cycling stability of commonly used Li(NiMnCo)O<sub>2</sub> cathodes. As an alternative to conventional layered oxide designs, we report a lithium nickelate cathode with a composite structure comprising major stoichiometric layered and minor rocksalt phases within the same oxygen lattice. This material outperforms conventional designs by maintaining stable battery operation at voltages up to 4.8 V vs. Li|Li<sup>+</sup>, with 88% capacity retention after 1000 cycles at 2C. The topotaxial-growth-enabled interlock between the two components mitigates chemo-mechanical degradation, offering a promising pathway to cobalt-free cathodes. Additionally, we reveal a miscibility gap in the Li-Ni-O system that enables kinetic adjustment of composition and structure during sintering, thereby tuning the functionality of high-energy cathodes.
Authors
- Lu Ma (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9646-0738)
- Jianqing Zhao (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9540-3133)
- Jianming Bai (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0575-2987)
- Yanbin Shen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1278-1137)
- Wujun Zhang
- Lijun Wu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8443-250X)
- Sizhan Liu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7316-2356)
- Feng Wang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4068-9212)
- Ping He (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1498-8203)
- Mingyuan Ge (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5682-7443)
- Junyi Yao (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9275-6547)
- Kun Zhang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0000-7026-240X)
- Kaihua Xu
- Zhenjie Zhang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1269-9133)
- Xiaotian Zhu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0000-9218-9864)
- Liwei Chen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4160-9771)
Institutions
- Argonne National Laboratory (US)
- Shanghai Jiao Tong University (CN)
- Brookhaven National Laboratory (US)
- Soochow University (CN)
- China Resources (China) (CN)
- Suzhou Institute of Nano-tech and Nano-bionics (CN)
- Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Microstructures (CN)
- Virginia Tech (US)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Nature Communications
- Published
- 2025-11-20
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-63258-9
- Citations
- 2
- Primary Topic
- Advancements in Battery Materials
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 1.46
Funders
- U.S. Department of Energy
- National Natural Science Foundation of China
- Government of Jiangsu Province
- Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province
- Office of Science
- Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy
- Office of Energy Efficiency
- Brookhaven National Laboratory