Mn
dissolution is one of the most important factors for the failure
of LiMn2O4 batteries. Doping has been widely
adopted in the modification of LiMn2O4 cathodes;
however, there is still a lack of theoretical guidance on screening
the dopants. Here, through first-principles calculations, we systematically
investigated the effects of all 3, 4d transition metals as well as
Mg, Ca, Sr, Al, Ga, and In on the surface oxygen stability of LiMn2O4 cathodes, which has been proved to be correlated
with the stability of the surface Mn atoms. Six competitive dopants,
namely Nb, Ru, Mo, V, Tc, and Ti, were screened out. Besides, for
three dopants in low valence states (Mg, Cu, and Zn), their Li-site
doping can more effectively stabilize the surface oxygen atoms compared
with Mn-site doping. Finally, we synthesized LiMn2O4 samples with Mg, Mo, and Nb surface doping to validate the
rationality of the computational results. We found that particle morphology
should also be considered in addition to surface oxygen stability
for controlling Mn dissolution. Moreover, the electrochemical performance
of LiMn2O4 batteries is a more complex issue
and cannot be solely regulated by Mn dissolution. During the experiments,
we have explored novel efficient binary chromogenic reagents for ultraviolet–visible
spectroscopy analysis that can be used for rapid and low-cost Mn dissolution
detection. This work provides a paradigm for the systematic design
of the surface modification of the LiMn2O4 cathode
under theoretical guidance.