Advanced surface engineering of lithium-rich manganese-based cathodes towards next-generation lithium-ion batteries

Lithium-rich manganese-based cathode materials (LMCMs) have garnered significant attention in power lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) and energy storage systems due to their superior energy density and costeffectiveness. However, the commercial application of LMCMs is hindered by challenges such as low initial coulombic efficiency, severe voltage decay, and inferior cycling performance. Surface structure degradation has been confirmed as a critical factor contributing to the electrochemical performance deterioration of LMCMs. Herein, we review the recent progress in surface engineering of LMCMs towards next-generation LIBs. Besides classical surface coating, mechanism and functions of surface oxygen vacancies for greatly boosting the electrochemical performance of LMCMs are also summarized in detail. Finally, we discuss the emerging trends and propose future research directions of surface engineering of LMCMs for achieving more efficient improvements. This work underscores the indispensable potential of surface engineering in enhancing the surface structure stability and electrochemical performance of LMCMs as promising candidates for next-generation high-energy LIBs. Synergistic integration of surface engineering and single-crystal technology will be a promising modification strategy for significantly promoting the commercialization of LMCMs, and the corresponding synergistic mechanisms urgently need to be studied for rationally designing high-performance electrodes. More efforts will be devoted to understand the surface engineering of LMCMs for the large-scale application of high-energy LIBs. (c) 2025 Science Press and Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Published by Elsevier B.V. and Science Press. All rights are reserved, including those for text and data mining, AI training, and similar technologies.