The invention discloses a positive 
electrode active material which comprises a 
lithium nickel manganese oxide modified material and a 
coating layer on the surface of the 
lithium nickel manganese oxide modified material, and the 
coating layer is composed of an 
inorganic compound; the 
lithium nickel manganese oxide modified material comprises primary particles of a 
spinel phase and a rock-salt-like phase, the 
spinel phase is an inner core, and the rock-salt-like phase forms a shell; the 
spinel phase is of a nickel lithium 
manganate spinel structure; the rock-salt-like phase is formed by induction of a nickel lithium 
manganate spinel structure, the rock-salt-like phase contains at least one placeholder element of Mg, Zn, Ni, Mn, Fe, Co, Ti, Cr, Y, Sc, Ru, Cu, Mo, Ge, W, Zr, Ca, Ta, Sr, Al, Nb, B, Si, F and S, and the placeholder element is located at the 16c or 8a position of the spinel phase; the rock-salt-like phase is doped with 
phosphorus elements, and the 
phosphorus elements are distributed in a gradient mode from the outer surface of the rock-salt-like phase to the interior of the rock-salt-like phase. The invention also discloses a preparation method of the positive 
electrode active material, a positive 
electrode of a lithium 
ion secondary battery containing the positive electrode active material, and the lithium 
ion secondary battery.