Enhancing the Electrochemical Properties of Nickel-Rich Cathode by Surface Coating with Defect-Rich Strontium Titanate

Ni-rich layered ternary cathodes (i.e., LiNi_xCo_yM_zO₂, M = Mn or Al, x + y + z = 1 and x ≥ 0.8) are promising candidates for the power supply of portable electronic devices and electric vehicles. However, the relatively high content of Ni⁴⁺ in the charged state shortens their lifespan due to inevitable capacity and voltage deteriorations during cycling. Therefore, the dilemma between high output energy and long cycle life needs to be addressed to facilitate more widespread commercialization of Ni-rich cathodes in modern lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). This work presents a facile surface modification approach with defect-rich strontium titanate (SrTiO_3–x) coating on a typical Ni-rich cathode: LiNi_0.8Co_0.15Al_0.05O₂ (NCA). The defect-rich SrTiO_3–x-modified NCA exhibits enhanced electrochemical performance compared to its pristine counterpart. In particular, the optimized sample delivers a high discharge capacity of ∼170 mA h/g after 200 cycles under 1C with capacity retention over 81.1%. The postmortem analysis provides new insight into the improved electrochemical properties which are ascribed to the SrTiO_3–x coating layer. This layer appears to not only alleviate the internal resistance growth, from uncontrollable cathode–electrolyte interface evolution, but also acts as a lithium diffusion channel during prolonged cycling. Therefore, this work offers a feasible strategy to improve the electrochemical performance of layered cathodes with high nickel content for next-generation LIBs.