Controllable synthesis of LiNi1/3Co1/3Mn1/3O2 electrode material via a high shear mixer-assisted precipitation process

Abstract

Layered LiNixCoyMnzO2 materials are the promising cathodes for high-energy–density batteries owing to their high capacities and high working voltages. However, the controllable synthesis of LiNixCoyMnzO2 through a green and scalable method is still a great challenge. From the viewpoint of chemical process intensification, this work proposed a high shear mixer (HSM) assisted-coprecipitation method, aiming to controllably synthesize LiNi1/3Co1/3Mn1/3O2 via intensified micromixing in pure water. The effects of micromixing on the structure, morphology and electrochemical properties of LiNi1/3Co1/3Mn1/3O2 were investigated experimentally. A computational fluid dynamics (CFD) technology was also carried out to understand the relative mechanism between micromixing and the properties of LiNi1/3Co1/3Mn1/3O2. Both experimental and numerical results indicated that the HSM could generate an intensified and homogeneous micromixing during the crystal nucleation and growth process, which is beneficial for the preparation of LiNi1/3Co1/3Mn1/3O2 with uniform morphology, small size and narrow distribution. Spherical LiNi1/3Co1/3Mn1/3O2 particles with an average size of 236 nm were successfully synthesized by this HSM-assisted precipitation strategy, which delivers superior discharge capacity of 98 mAh g−1 and excellent cycling stability of 78.5% after 200 cycles at 3200 mA g−1. We believe this green synthetic approach not only exhibits prospects for large-scale production but also could be extended to prepare other materials beyond the present work.