A review: Modification strategies of nickel-rich layer structure cathode (Ni ≥ 0.8) materials for lithium ion power batteries

Lithium ion power batteries have undoubtedly become one of the most promising rechargeable batteries at present; nonetheless, they still suffer from the challenges such as requirement of even higher energy density and capacity retention. Nickel-rich layer oxides (Ni ≥ 0.8) become ideal cathode materials to achieve the high specific capacity. Integration of optimization of synthesis process and modification of crystal structure to suppress the capacity fading can obviously improve the performance of the lithium ion batteries. This review presents the recent modification strategies of the nickel-rich layered oxide materials. Unlike in previous reviews and related papers, the specific mechanism about each type of the modification strategies is specially discussed in detail, which is mainly about inhibiting the anisotropic lattice strain and adjusting the cation mixing degree to maintain crystal structure. Based on the recent progress, the prospects and challenges of the modified nickel-rich layer cathodes to upgrade the property of lithium ion batteries are also comprehensively analyzed, and the potential applications in the field of plug-in hybrid vehicles and electric vehicles are further discussed.