Doping and Modification of Ce3⁺ on LiNi0.8Co0.1Mn0.1O2 Cathode Materials and Electrochemical Performance Study
摘要
In order to improve the cycle and rate performance of high-nickel LiNi0.8Co0.1Mn0.1O2(NCM811) materials, a series of Ce3⁺-modified materials (LiNi0.8Co0.1Mn0.1−xCexO2, x = 0, 1, 2, 5, 10%) were prepared via co-precipitation and high-temperature solid-state method. The influence of different doping amounts on structure, morphology, and electrochemical performance was systematically investigated. XRD and SEM characterizations indicate that Ce3⁺ was successfully incorporated into the lattice, inducing controlled lattice expansion and significantly increasing lithium-layer spacing (the c-axis parameter of LNCMCe5 increased from 14.190 to 14.253 Å), while effectively suppressing cation mixing (the I003/I104 ratio rose to 1.312). SEM morphology shows that appropriate doping promotes the formation of uniform, well-defined secondary particles. XPS analysis reveals that the mechanism stems from the “oxygen vacancy synergistic effect” induced by Ce3⁺ doping. Electrochemical tests demonstrate that the LNCMCe5 sample with optimal doping (5%) exhibits the best overall performance: It delivers the highest initial discharge capacity (192.5 mAh g⁻1) at 0.1 C, 4.9% higher than the undoped sample; at a high rate of 10 C, the capacity retention is dramatically improved by 49.4%; after 150 cycles at 0.5 C, its capacity retention reaches 94.9%, significantly superior to the 91.1% of the undoped sample. Electrochemical impedance analysis confirms that the lithium-ion diffusion coefficient of the modified material is slightly enhanced (increased from 6.99 × 10−16 cm2 s⁻1 of the undoped sample to 7.19 × 10−16 cm2 s⁻1 of the 5% Ce-doped sample). This study verifies that appropriate Ce3⁺ doping effectively improves structural stability and electrochemical performance through multiple synergistic effects, including “enlarging lithium-layer spacing, suppressing cation mixing, and stabilizing grain boundaries.” The results provide theoretical support and practical guidance for the development of high-performance lithium-ion battery cathode materials.