1. Background
Lithium metal batteries are considered an ideal candidate for next-generation batteries due to their high energy density. Lithium-rich manganese-based oxide cathode materials offer exceptionally high theoretical capacity and energy density, but several challenges hinder their commercial application. These include: irreversible lithium ion intercalation and deintercalation during the first cycle, resulting in high irreversible capacity; undesirable side reactions and irreversible structural changes, resulting in capacity decay; limited kinetics and conductivity of the active materials, resulting in poor rate performance; and persistent voltage delay during cycling. To address these issues, researchers have developed methods such as element doping, surface coating, and structural modification to enhance the electrochemical performance of lithium-rich manganese-based cathode materials. This paper investigates a novel lithium-rich manganese-based cathode material, LRMZF, which utilizes a cation- and anion-co-doping strategy to improve its performance.
2. Experimental Details
This paper used a sol-gel method to prepare the LRMZF cathode material:
1. Precursor Solution Preparation: Lithium nitrate (LiNO3), nickel nitrate (Ni(NO3)2·6H2O), cobalt nitrate (Co(NO3)2·6H2O), manganese nitrate (Mn(NO3)2·4H2O), and zirconium nitrate (Zr(NO3)4·5H2O) were dissolved in deionized water in a specific ratio to form a metal nitrate solution. Hydrogen fluoride (HF) solution was slowly added dropwise to the metal nitrate solution while controlling the pH to form a sol. The sol was heat-treated at high temperature to form a gel.
2. Material Calcination: The gel was calcined at high temperature in a muffle furnace to obtain the LRMZF cathode material.
3. Material Washing and Drying: The calcined material was washed with deionized water and ethanol to remove impurities. The washed material was dried in a drying oven to obtain the final LRMZF cathode material.