Engineering robust biopolymer-derived carbon growth of Ni-rich cathode materials for high-performance Li-ion batteries

Nickel-rich ternary layered oxide (NCM811) is one of the most promising electrode materials for next-generation lithium ion batteries, offering high reversibility, ecofriendly, and low cost. However, this type of cathode material also has low thermal stability, phase changes during charge-discharge, and safety concerns, requiring considerable improvement to be commercially viable. This study induced carbon growth on a modified nickel-rich layered oxide NCM811 cathode material as positive electrodes for Li ion batteries, and subsequently performed electrochemical, structural, and post-mortem characterization for the material. Specific capacity retention for the best case cathodes improved to 75 % after 100 cycles at 0.1C rate under atmospheric conditions compared with current standard NCM electrodes. Full cell fabricated using that best case electrodes achieved 220 mAh g⁻¹ initial charge capacity, retaining 81 % charge capacity after 50 cycles. Initial coulombic efficiency and cycle stability for the prepared best case cathode material was enhanced by optimum carbon growth due to the reconstructed layer structure's capacity to inhibit side reactions at the interface and stabilize bulk structure over cycles.