Enhancing long-term cycling stability of spinel LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4 cathode via ultrathin ZrO2 coating layer

Spinel LiNi 0.5 Mn 1.5 O 4 (LNMO) cathode draws significant attention in the field of energy storage due to its unique voltage plateau. To further enhance the long-term electrochemical stability of LNMO, the LNMO cathode covered with an ultrathin ZrO 2 layer was prepared through atomic layer deposition (ALD). It is found that the LNMO cathode deposited with 20 layers of ZrO 2 (LNMOZ20) exhibits the best electrochemical performance, achieving a high discharge capacity of 117.1 mA·h/g, with a capacity retention of 87.4% after 600 cycles at a current density of 1 C . Furthermore, even at higher current densities of 5 C and 10 C , the LNMOZ20 electrode still demonstrates excellent stability with discharge capacities reaching 111.7 and 103.6 mA·h/g, and capacity retentions maintaining at 81.0% and 101.4% after 2000 cycles, respectively. This study highlights that the incorporation of an ultrathin ZrO 2 layer by ALD is an effective strategy for enhancing the long-term cycling stability of LNMO cathodes.