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Abstract Cathode material degradation during cycling is one of the key obstacles to upgrading lithium‐ion and beyond‐lithium‐ion batteries for high‐energy and varied‐temperature applications. Herein, we highlight recent progress in material surface‐coating as the foremost solution to resist the surface phase‐transitions and cracking in cathode particles in mono‐valent (Li, Na, K) and multi‐valent (Mg, Ca, Al) ion batteries under high‐voltage and varied‐temperature conditions. Importantly, we shed light on the future of materials surface‐coating technology with possible research directions. In this regard, we provide our viewpoint on a novel hybrid surface‐coating strategy, which has been successfully evaluated in LiCoO 2 ‐based‐Li‐ion cells under adverse conditions with industrial specifications for customer‐demanding applications. The proposed coating strategy includes a first surface‐coating of the as‐prepared cathode powders (by sol–gel) and then an ultra‐thin ceramic‐oxide coating on their electrodes (by atomic‐layer deposition). What makes it appealing for industry applications is that such a coating strategy can effectively maintain the integrity of materials under electro‐mechanical stress, at the cathode particle and electrode‐ levels. Furthermore, it leads to improved energy‐density and voltage retention at 4.55 V and 45 °C with highly loaded electrodes (≈24 mg.cm −2 ). Finally, the development of this coating technology for beyond‐lithium‐ion batteries could be a major research challenge, but one that is viable.
Kalluri et al. (Thu,) studied this question.