Balancing Structural Ordering and Electrochemical Performance in LiNi0.94Co0.06O2 Cathodes via PVA-Assisted Synthesis
5 affiliations
- 1IL SCIENCE Co., Ltd., IL Square, 5 Saemal-ro 5-gil, Songpa-gu, Seoul 05808, Republic of Korea
- 2Department of Electronic Engineering, Gachon University, Seongnam 13120, Republic of Korea
- 3Department of Advanced Materials Science & Engineering, Mokpo National University, Muan-gun 58554, Republic of Korea
- 4Department of Materials Science & Engineering, Gachon University, Seongnam 13120, Republic of Korea
- 5Materials Research and Education Center, 275 Wilmore Laboratories, Auburn University, Auburn, AL 36849, USA
Abstract
Ni-rich layered oxide cathodes are promising candidates for high-energy-density lithium-ion batteries; however, their electrochemical performance is strongly influenced by structural evolution, lithium stoichiometry, interfacial properties, and particle characteristics. In this study, LiNi0.94Co0.06O2 (LNCO) cathodes were synthesized through a poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA)-assisted solution route to investigate the coupled effects of PVA molecular weight and calcination temperature on structural development and electrochemical behavior. Four LNCO samples, denoted LMW-650, HMW-650, LMW-750, and HMW-750, were systematically compared in terms of phase formation, layered structural characteristics, elemental composition, morphology, specific surface area, interfacial resistance, and electrochemical performance. The influence of calcination temperature was strongly dependent on the PVA molecular weight. Increasing the calcination temperature improved the layered-ordering indicator and reduced the interfacial resistance of the LMW-derived sample; however, this improvement did not result in a comparable enhancement in long-term cycling stability. In contrast, the HMW-derived sample calcined at 650 °C exhibited a favorable combination of layered structural characteristics, lithium stoichiometry, interfacial resistance, and electrochemical performance. These results indicate that layered ordering or surface area alone is insufficient to determine the long-term stability of ultrahigh-Ni LNCO cathodes. Instead, electrochemical behavior is governed by the combined effects of precursor characteristics and calcination-induced structural evolution. This study demonstrates that simultaneous control of PVA molecular weight and calcination temperature provides an effective strategy for tuning the structure–property relationship of low-Co, ultrahigh-Ni LNCO cathodes.
Related
- Time-optimized ultrasonic synthesis of α-MnO2 nanoflower: controlling structural evolution and agglomeration for stable electrochemical performance
- Solid-State Synthesis of NMC111 and Impact of Impurities on the Electrochemical Performance
- Structural properties and electrochemical performance of the polyanionic Na₄Fe₃(PO₄)₂(P₂O₇)@C cathode at lower cutoff potentials for sodium-ion batteries.
- Visible-Light-Driven Photoreduction of Industrial-Grade Graphene Oxide into Single-/Few-Layer Reduced Graphene Oxide Nanosheets: Structural Evolution and Enhanced Electrochemical Energy-Storage Performance
- Balancing the Performance Trade-off of Polymer Blends with Heterogeneously Dispersed Nanodomains via Reactive Processing
BibTeX
@article{song2026balancing,
title = {{Balancing Structural Ordering and Electrochemical Performance in LiNi0.94Co0.06O2 Cathodes via PVA-Assisted Synthesis}},
author = {Sung Geun Song and Seong-Do Kim and Ha Eun Kang and Hae Yeong Lee and Min-Kwon Park and Dong-Joo Kim and Young Soo Yoon and Sang Jin Lee},
journal = {Batteries},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3390/batteries12100419},
url = {https://www.mdpi.com/2313-0105/12/10/419},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Balancing Structural Ordering and Electrochemical Performance in LiNi0.94Co0.06O2 Cathodes via PVA-Assisted Synthesis
AU - Sung Geun Song
AU - Seong-Do Kim
AU - Ha Eun Kang
AU - Hae Yeong Lee
AU - Min-Kwon Park
AU - Dong-Joo Kim
AU - Young Soo Yoon
AU - Sang Jin Lee
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/12
JO - Batteries
DO - 10.3390/batteries12100419
UR - https://www.mdpi.com/2313-0105/12/10/419
AB - Ni-rich layered oxide cathodes are promising candidates for high-energy-density lithium-ion batteries; however, their electrochemical performance is strongly influenced by structural evolution, lithium stoichiometry, interfacial properties, and particle characteristics. In this study, LiNi0.94Co0.06O2 (LNCO) cathodes were synthesized through a poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA)-assisted solution route to investigate the coupled effects of PVA molecular weight and calcination temperature on structural development and electrochemical behavior. Four LNCO samples, denoted LMW-650, HMW-650, LMW-750, and HMW-750, were systematically compared in terms of phase formation, layered structural characteristics, elemental composition, morphology, specific surface area, interfacial resistance, and electrochemical performance. The influence of calcination temperature was strongly dependent on the PVA molecular weight. Increasing the calcination temperature improved the layered-ordering indicator and reduced the interfacial resistance of the LMW-derived sample; however, this improvement did not result in a comparable enhancement in long-term cycling stability. In contrast, the HMW-derived sample calcined at 650 °C exhibited a favorable combination of layered structural characteristics, lithium stoichiometry, interfacial resistance, and electrochemical performance. These results indicate that layered ordering or surface area alone is insufficient to determine the long-term stability of ultrahigh-Ni LNCO cathodes. Instead, electrochemical behavior is governed by the combined effects of precursor characteristics and calcination-induced structural evolution. This study demonstrates that simultaneous control of PVA molecular weight and calcination temperature provides an effective strategy for tuning the structure–property relationship of low-Co, ultrahigh-Ni LNCO cathodes.
SN - 2313-0105
ER -