Comparisons of the Performance of Combustion Derived Undoped LiCo1/3Ni1/3Mn1/3O2, and Doped LiCo0.3Ni0.3Mn0.3Fe0.1O2, LiCo0.3Ni0.3Mn0.3Cr0.1O2, and LiCo0.3Ni0.3Mn0.3Ti0.1O2 Cathode Materials

Improving the performance of cathode materials is an on-going effort amongst battery scientists. Doping the materials with other transition elements is a good way of obtaining improvements in the performance of the materials. This work focuses on the Fe, Cr and Ti doping of LiCo_1/3Ni_1/3Mn_1/3O₂, producing LiCo_0.3Ni_0.3Mn_0.3Fe_0.1O₂, LiCo_0.3Ni_0.3Mn_0.3Cr_0.1O₂, and LiCo_0.3Ni_0.3Mn_0.3Ti_0.1O₂ materials. X-Ray diffraction (XRD) results show that the materials are pure and single phase. Highly ordered hexagonal structures with R-3m space group were obtained. Galvanostatic charge-discharge cyclings were performed and results showed differences in the specific capacity as well as capacity retention of the materials. In order to further understand the behaviour of the cathode materials, X-Ray Photoelectron spectroscopy were done. Results showed that the binding energy of lithium affects the specific capacity of the electrochemical cells. The existence of the transition metals in several oxidation states also seem to affect the materials’ performance and cycling.