Atomic layer deposition of stable lithium ion conductive interfacial layer for stable cathode cycling

1. A coated cathode material comprising:

a cathode active material having a high nickel content of at least about 75% by atomic ratio, wherein the cathode active material is comprised of nickel-containing particles each having a size of about ten microns or less; and

an interfacial layer coating the nickel-containing particles of the cathode active material,

wherein the interfacial layer includes a lithium-containing fluoride, wherein the lithium-containing fluoride contains lithium and at least one additional metal different from lithium, and wherein the interfacial layer is configured to provide an interface between the cathode active material having high nickel content and an electrolyte.

2. The coated cathode material of claim 1 , wherein the lithium-containing fluoride is a compound of lithium, fluorine, and the additional metal.

3. The coated cathode material of claim 1 , wherein the additional metal is aluminum.

4. The coated cathode material of claim 3 , wherein the lithium-containing fluoride is a lithium aluminum fluoride.

5. The coated cathode material of claim 4 , wherein the lithium aluminum fluoride is represented as LixAlyFz where 0.5≤x≤3.5, 0.5≤y≤1.5, and 3.5≤z≤6.5.

6. The coated cathode material of claim 4 , wherein an atomic ratio of lithium to aluminum is about 1.

7. The coated cathode material of claim 4 , wherein an atomic ratio of lithium to aluminum is greater than 1.

8. The coated cathode material of claim 4 , wherein an atomic ratio of fluorine to lithium is greater than 1.

9. The coated cathode material of claim 1 , wherein the lithium-containing fluoride has a lithium ion conductivity of at least 1×10−10 S/cm.

10. The coated cathode material of claim 1 , wherein the lithium-containing fluoride has a reduction potential no greater than 2.8 V vs. Li/Li+.

11. The coated cathode material of claim 1 , wherein the lithium-containing fluoride has an oxidation potential of at least 4.5 V vs. Li/Li+.

12. The coated cathode material of claim 1 , wherein the cathode active material is a layered lithium transition metal oxide.

13. The coated cathode material of claim 1 , wherein the nickel-containing particles each have a dimension in a range of 10 nm to 10 μm.

14. The coated cathode material of claim 1 , wherein a thickness of the interfacial layer is in a range of 1 nm to 200 nm.

15. A cathode for a lithium ion battery, comprising a current collector and the coated cathode material of claim 1 disposed adjacent to the current collector.

16. A method of forming a coated cathode material, comprising:

providing a cathode active material having a high nickel content of at least about 75% by atomic ratio, wherein the cathode active material is comprised of nickel-containing particles each having a size of about ten microns or less; and

forming, via atomic layer deposition, an interfacial layer coating the nickel-containing particles of the cathode active material,

wherein the interfacial layer includes a lithium-containing fluoride, wherein the lithium-containing fluoride contains lithium and at least one additional metal different from lithium, and wherein the interfacial layer is configured to provide an interface between the cathode active material having high nickel content and an electrolyte.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein the interfacial layer includes a lithium aluminum fluoride.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein forming the interfacial layer includes:

performing a first atomic layer deposition cycle to deposit a lithium-containing fluoride; and

performing a second atomic layer deposition cycle to deposit an aluminum-containing fluoride.

19. The coated cathode material of claim 1 , wherein the nickel-containing particles each have a dimension in a range of 500 nm to 1 μm.