Here we report a novel transitional metal oxide (NiCo2O4) coated Li [Ni0.03Mn1.97]O-4 micro-/nano- spheres as high-performance Li-ion battery cathode material. A thin layer of similar to 10 nm NiCo2O4 was formed by simple wet-chemistry approach adjacent to the surface of Li [Ni0.03Mn1.97]O-4 micro-/nano- spheres, leading to significantly enhanced battery electrochemical performance. The optimized sample(1 wt%) not only delivers excellent discharge capacity and cycling stability improvement at both room temperature and elevated temperatures, but also effectively prevents Mn dissolution while retaining its coating structure intact according to XRF and TEM results. The CV and EIS break-down analysis indicated a much faster electrochemical reaction kinetics, more reversible electrode process and greatly reduced charge transfer and Warburg resistance, clearly illustrating the dual role of NiCo2O4 coating to boost electron transport and Li+ diffusion, and alleviation of manganese dissolving. This approach may render as an efficient technique to realize high-performance lithium ion battery cathode material. (c) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.