Publication date: 10th April 2024
High-Ni layered oxide intercalation cathodes currently dominate the Li-ion battery market due to their high energy density [1,2]; however, they suffer from large anisotropic strains due to abrupt shrinkage along the c-lattice direction at high states of charge, which adversely impacts battery life by compromising the particle integrity [3]. In this work, we propose a novel strategy of stabilizing the crystal lattice during delithiation by uniformly inducing partial cation disorder throughout the bulk of a layered, industrially relevant, high-Ni composition. We achieve partial disorder through the unique chemistry of oxygen-redox dynamics. The resultant material exhibits a 74% reduction in the c-lattice parameter change, a decrease which is persistent over 100 cycles. The presence of partial disorder preserves the 2D Li diffusion channels of the layered structure while suppressing the H2-H3 phase transition that is characteristic of high-Ni cathodes at high states of charge, resulting in 92.7% capacity retention after 100 cycles.