Atomic layer coating to mitigate capacity fading associated with manganese dissolution in lithium ion batteries

•Mn deposited on graphite electrode catalyzed the electrolyte decomposition.•A few atomic layers of aluminum oxide coating mitigated the capacity fading.•Al2O3 coating on graphite works more efficiently for capacity retention.

Ultrathin surface coatings (< 5 nm) on electrodes have been developed to mitigate the capacity decay induced by manganese (Mn) dissolution, a limiting factor for Mn-based oxide electrode materials in lithium ion batteries. We demonstrated that the capacity decay was attributed to the Mn deposited on the graphite electrode accelerating the electrolyte decomposition. While the Al2O3 coating on the positive electrode suppressed the Mn dissolution, we found that the Al2O3 coating on the negative electrode was counter-intuitively more beneficial and efficient in preventing the Mn deposition and achieving excellent capacity retention in lithium ion batteries.