Morphology-Tuned Porous Lithium-Rich Cathode Materials Synthesized via a Solvothermal Approach for Li-Ion Battery Application

Lithium-rich manganese-based layered oxides (LMR) are considered one of the most promising cathode materials for the next generation of high-energy lithium-ion batteries for transportation and energy storage applications. However, the irreversible phase transition from a layered to a spinel structure coupled with the anion redox reaction leads to severe capacity degradation and voltage attenuation, hindering practical applications of LMR materials. In this work, we developed a superior LMR cathode material through a structure engineering strategy via a multisolvent solvothermal method. The resultant LMR cathode, with uniform particle size and porous structure, achieved a specific energy density of ∼933.00 Wh kg–1 (∼267.48 mAh g–1) at 0.2C and a capacity retention of ∼80% after 300 cycles in a voltage range of 2.0–4.8 V at 1C. We further revealed that the excellent performance of our LMR cathode is due to the abundant diffusion pathways, faster lithium-ion diffusion kinetics, and stable crystalline structure. Thus, this study is encouraging and provides an avenue for developing high-energy lithium-ion batteries.