Improving the Electrochemical Performance of Core–Shell LiNi 0.8 Co 0.1 Mn 0.1 O 2 Cathode Materials Using Environmentally Friendly Phase Structure Control Process

The phase structure of the precursor is crucial for the microstructure evolution and stability of Ni-rich cathode materials. Using sodium lactate as a green complexing agent, cathode electrode materials with different phase structures and unique core–shell structures were prepared by the co-precipitation method in this study. The influence of the phase structure of the nickel-rich precursor on the cathode electrode materials was studied in depth. It was found that α-NCM811 had large interlayer spacing, which was beneficial for the diffusion of lithium ions. In contrast, β-NCM811 had smaller interlayer spacing, a good layered structure, and lower ion mixing, resulting in better cycling performance. The core–shell-αβ-NCM811 with α-NCM811 as the core and β-NCM811 as the shell was prepared by combining the advantages of the two different phases. The core–shell-αβ-NCM811 showed the highest discharge capacity of 158.7 mAh/g at 5 C and delivered excellent rate performance. In addition, the β-NCM811 shell structure with smaller layer spacing could prevent corrosion of the α-NCM811 core by the electrolyte. Thus, the capacity retention rate of the core–shell-αβ-NCM811 was still as high as 86.16% after 100 cycles.