Among candidates at the positive electrode of the next generation of Li-ion technology and even beyond post Li-ion technology as all-solid-state batteries, spinel LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4 (LNMO) is one of the favorites. Nevertheless, before its integration into commercial systems, challenges still remain to be tackled, especially the stabilization of interfaces with the electrolyte (liquid or solid) at high voltage. In this work, a simple, fast, and cheap process is used to prepare a homogeneous coating of Al2O3 type to modify the surface of the spinel LNMO: the supercritical fluid chemical deposition (SFCD) route. This process is, to the best of our knowledge, used for the first time in the battery field. Significantly improved performance was demonstrated vs those of bare LNMO, especially at high rates and for highly loaded electrodes.
Keywords: high-voltage positive electrode material; lithium-ion batteries; spinel oxide LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4; supercritical fluid chemical deposition; surface modification.