Low-Temperature Prepared Lithium-Cobalt-Nickel-Oxide Spinels

LiMn₂O₄-based spinel materials have been one of the most important types of cathode materials in current lithium-ion batteries since layered LiCoO₂ was used in the first commercial products by Sony Corporation in 1991. While LiCoO₂ is still the preferred cathode of choice for portable electronic devices such as mobile phones, cameras, and laptop computers, the LiMn₂O₄-based spinels, which have low price and high power performance, are finding application in batteries for electric vehicles.¹

Compared to the extensive understanding of manganese-based spinel materials, relatively little is known about the structural and electrochemical properties of cobalt-nickel-based spinel electrodes, since lithium-cobalt-nickel-oxides stabilize as a layered structure during high-temperature synthesis. However, low-temperature firing of precursor materials during the solid state synthesis of layered oxide compositions, particularly those with high cobalt content, can result in intermediate structures with quasi-spinel character.^2,3 A significant advantage of these Li-Co-Ni-O (LCNO-S) spinel structures is that they offer an attractive ~3.6 V vs. lithium, i.e., approximately 600 mV higher than their manganese analogues. Moreover, unlike manganese, cobalt has a lower propensity to migrate during the electrochemical reactions. In this presentation, the low-temperature prepared LCNO-S materials will be revisited to delve into their structural and electrochemical properties.

References

1.   M. M. Thackeray, C. Wolverton and E. D. Isaacs, Energy & Environmental Science, 5, 7854 (2012).

2.   R. J. Gummow, M. M. Thackeray, W. I. F. David and S. Hull, Materials Research Bulletin, 27, 327 (1992).

3.   R. J. Gummow and M. M. Thackeray, Solid State Ionics, 53, 681 (1992).