Interfacial cerium modification promotes the electrochemical properties of self-assembled Li_1.2Mn_0.54Ni_0.13Co_0.13O₂ hollow microspheres

Lithium-rich manganese-based cathode materials are promising for energy storage applications ascribed to the high-energy density but suffer from inferior structural stability and cyclic performance, especially under high-rate conditions. In this study, we designed self-assembled hollow microspheres with multifunctional interfacial cerium modification to provide optimized crystal robustness and oxygen defects, thus strengthening Li⁺ insertion/extraction kinetics and suppressing oxygen release. In particular, the synthetic condition to generate regular hollow microspheres and appropriate amount of cerium to modify the cathode were investigated in detail. As a result, Li_1.2Mn_0.54Ni_0.13Co_0.13O₂(LMNCO) with 3% cerium content (molar ratio to transition metals) achieved 291.4 mAh·g⁻¹ discharge capacity at 0.1 C within 2.0–4.8 V and maintained a capacity of 189.3 mAh·g⁻¹ with favorable cycle stability at 5 C. The combination of morphology design and surface modification enhanced the interfacial stability and electrochemical properties of lithium-rich manganese-based cathode material effectively, which demonstrated great practical significance in the development of high-rate lithium ion batteries.