Electrochemical Activation Inducing Rocksalt‐to‐Spinel Transformation for Prolonged Service Life of LiMn2O4 Cathodes

• DOI: 10.1002/smll.202406116
• Publication Date: 2024-08-28T13:53:06Z
• Authors: Fangyan Li; Yiding Jiao; Shuo Yang; Wei Mao; Qiantu Tao; Chenyu Bai; Er He; Luhe Li; Tingting Ye; Yiran Li; Jiacheng Wang; Junye Ren; Yuanzhen Wang; Rui Gao; Qianming Li; Jiang Lu; Jie Song; Jing Ma; Yu Deng; Peng Wang; Ye Zhang
• Keywords: Electrochemical kinetics; Capacity loss

Abstract LiMn 2 O 4 spinel is emerging as a promising cathode material for lithium‐ion batteries, largely due to its open framework that facilitates Li + diffusion and excellent rate performance. However, the charge–discharge cycling of leads severe structural degradation rapid capacity decay. Here, an electrochemical activation strategy introduced, employing facile galvano‐potentiostatic charging operation, restore lost without damaging battery configuration. With strategy, cycle life extended from initial 1500 impressive 14 000 cycles at 5C with metal anode, while increasing total discharge energy by ten times. Remarkably, enhances kinetics , coefficient experiencing 37.2% increase. Further investigation reveals this improvement in results transformation redox‐inert LiMnO rocksalt layer on surface degraded cathodes back into active spinel. This confirmed through electron microscopy corroborated density functional theory simulations. Moreover, viability has been demonstrated pouch cell configurations underscoring potential broader application.