ZSM-5 Coating for Enhancing the Performance of Ni-Rich Li[Ni0.88Co0.09Mn0.03]O₂ Cathodes in Lithium-Ion Batteries

This work presents the electrochemical performance of Ni-rich Li[Ni0.88Co0.09Mn0.03]O2 (LNCM-88) synthesized by using pure and recycled MeSO4 solutions and then surface-coated with Zeolite Socony Mobil-5 (ZSM-5). X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) patterns of uncoated and ZSM-5-coated LNCM-88 showed α-NaFeO2 structures in the space group R3̅m. Based on the results, the uncoated LNCM-88 prepared from a pure solution exhibited better performance during the initial cycles. However, uncoated LNCM-88 produced from the mixed solution demonstrated greater long-term durability than the pure solution, retaining 93.5% of its initial capacity after 62 cycles. Additionally, coated (0.5 wt % ZSM-5) LNCM-88 yielded the highest initial charge capacity (241.8 mAh g–1), discharge capacity (221.2 mAh g–1), and initial Coulombic efficiency (93.8%). The ZSM-5 coating facilitated rapid Li+ diffusion, reduced cation mixing, and increased the lattice space, leading to enhanced performance. This study highlighted the significant benefits of ZSM-5 coating in improving the electrochemical performance of Ni-rich LNCM-88 cathode materials, making them promising candidates for advanced lithium-ion batteries.