Restraining the escape of lattice oxygen enables superior cyclic performance towards high-voltage Ni-rich cathodes

Layered Ni-rich cathodes, operating at high voltage with superior cyclic performance, are required to develop future high-energy Li-ion batteries. However, the worst lattice oxygen escape at the high-voltage region easily causes structural instability, rapid capacity fading and safety issues upon cycling. Here, we report a dual-track strategy to fully restrain the escape of lattice oxygen from Ni-rich cathodes within 2.7-4.5 V by one-step Ta doping and CeO2 coating according to their different diffusion energy barriers. The doped Ta can alleviate the charge compensation of oxygen anions as a positive charge centre to reduce the lattice oxygen escape and induce the formation of elongated primary particles, significantly inhibiting microcrack generation and propagation. Additionally, the layer of CeO2 coating effectively captures the remaining escaped oxygen and then the captured oxygen feeds back into the lattice during subsequent discharge. The resultant Ni-rich cathode enables a capacity of 231.3 mAh g-1 with a high initial coulombic efficiency of 93.5%. A pouch-type full cell comprising this cathode and a graphite anode exhibits >1000 times life cycles at 1C in the 2.7-4.5 V range, with 90.9% capacity retention.