Electrochemical performance and thermal stability of GaF₃-coated LiNi_0.5Mn_1.5O₄ as 5 V cathode materials for lithium ion batteries

LiNi_0.5Mn_1.5O₄ coated with various amounts of GaF₃ were prepared and investigated as cathode materials for lithium ion batteries. The sample was characterized by X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX). The results indicated that the electrochemical performance of LiNi_0.5Mn_1.5O₄ was effectively improved by the GaF₃ coating. The 0.5 wt% GaF₃-coated LiNi_0.5Mn_1.5O₄ delivered a discharge capacity of 97 mAh g⁻¹ at 20 C (3000 mA g⁻¹), while the pristine sample only yielded 80 mAh g⁻¹ at 10 C. Meanwhile, the 0.5 wt% GaF₃-coated LiNi_0.5Mn_1.5O₄ exhibited an obviously better cycle life than the bare sample at 60 °C, delivering a discharge capacity of 120.4 mAh g⁻¹ after 300 cycles, 82.9 % of its initial discharge capacity, while the pristine only gave 75 mAh g⁻¹. At 0.1 C, the self-discharge of 0.5 wt% GaF₃-coated LiNi_0.5Mn_1.5O₄ is about 3.4 %, while the pristine is about 10.2 % after a 5-day rest at room temperature. Furthermore, GaF₃ coating greatly reduced the self-heating rate and improved the thermal stability of LiNi_0.5Mn_1.5O₄. These improvements were attributed to the GaF₃ layer not only increasing the electronic conductivity of the LiNi_0.5Mn_1.5O₄ but also effectively suppressing the reaction between the LiNi_0.5Mn_1.5O₄ and the electrolytes, which reduced the charge-transfer impedance and the dissolution of Ni and Mn during cycling.