Electrochemical Behavior of NH4F-Pretreated Li1.25Ni0.20Fe0.13Co0.33Mn0.33O2 Cathodes for Lithium-ion Batteries

We report a novel method to fabricate lithium-ion batteries cathodes with the NH4F pretreatment. In this study, NH4F-pretreated Li1.25Ni0.20Fe0.13Co0.33Mn0.33O2 hollow nano-micro hierarchical microspheres were synthesized for use as cathode materials. The X-ray diffraction patterns of NH4F-pretreated Li1.25Ni0.20Co0.33Fe0.13Mn0.33O2 were analyzed with the RIETAN-FP software program, and the results showed that the samples possess a layered alpha-NaFeO2 structure. The effects of pretreatment with NH4F on the electrochemical performance of the pristine material were evaluated through charge/discharge cycling, the rate performance, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). Pretreatment with NH4F significantly improved the discharge capacities and coulombic efficiencies of Li1.25Ni0.20Co0.33Fe0.13Mn0.33O2 in the first cycle and during subsequent electrochemical cycling. The sample pretreated with an appropriate amount of NH4F (NFCM 90) showed the highest discharge capacity (209.1 mA h g(-1)) and capacity retention (85.2% for 50 cycles at 0.1 C). The EIS results showed that the resistance of the NFCM 90 sample (76.32 Omega) is lower than that of the pristine one (206.2 Omega).