Capacity loss and cycling stability may be improved by coating particles of the electroactive material with a conductive polymer. The conductive polymer coating may reduce or prevent chemical interaction between the electroactive material and the electrolyte while allowing transport of lithium ions and electrons. Such conductive polymer coatings may be applied to electroactive materials by oxidative chemical vapor deposition (“OCVD”); however, OCVD is a complex process requiring specialized equipment.

In various aspects, the present disclosure provides a method of applying conductive polymer coatings to electroactive materials. The method generally includes preparing a solution of a solvent and a polymer, adding an electroactive material to the solvent to form a slurry, and drying the slurry to form conductive-polymer-coated electroactive material particles. In certain aspects, the method may further include forming the electroactive material and/or forming an electrode including the conductive-polymer-coated electroactive material. The method may be simple, such that it can be performed quickly using standard equipment that is readily available. In certain aspects, the electroactive material is a lithium- and/or manganese-rich positive electroactive material and the conductive coating includes poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate) (“PEDOT:PSS”).