Truncated octahedral LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4 cathode material for ultralong-life lithium-ion battery: Positive (100) surfaces in high-voltage spinel system

•Truncated octahedral LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4 was prepared by a microwave-assisted hydrothermal method.•The LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4 with more (100) surfaces exhibited better cycling performance.•(100) surfaces can stabilize the spinel structure and support Li+ transport kinetics.

So far, it has not yet reached an agreement that (111) surfaces or (100) surfaces are more positive to electrochemical performance in the spinel system. Herein, we present the synthesis of regular truncated octahedral high-voltage spinel LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4 single crystals with preferred growth of (100) surfaces, which incredibly exhibit the best long-term cycling stability compared with the state-of-art spinel material. The capacity retention is about 90% after 2000 cycles at 1 C. The extraordinary performance is mostly attributed to the highly regular truncated octahedral microstructure with large portions of stable (100) facets, which can stabilize the spinel structure to effectively suppress the side reactions with the electrolyte at high operating voltage and are also orientated to support Li+ transport kinetics. Therefore, our work further promotes the practical application of LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4 cathode material in next generation Lithium-ion batteries with high energy density and power performance.

Graphical abstractThe synthesis of regular truncated octahedral LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4single crystals with preferred growth of (100) surfaces is presented, which incredibly exhibit the best long-term cycling stability compared with the state-of-art spinel material. The capacity retention is 90% after 2000 cycles at 1 C.Figure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload as PowerPoint slide