Facile synthesis of LiCo1/3Ni1/3Mn1/3O2/Al(OH)3 composite as a high-performance cathode material for lithium ion cells

Abstract

A facile method for enhancing electrochemical performances of LiCo1/3Ni1/3Mn1/3O2 cathode material by mixing with Al(OH)3 additives is reported. The commercial 18,650 size Li-ion cells were manufactured based on Al(OH)3-mixed LiCo1/3Ni1/3Mn1/3O2 cathode and artificial graphite anode in a LiPF6-based non-aqueous electrolyte. The cell with Al(OH)3-mixed LiCo1/3Ni1/3Mn1/3O2 cathode exhibits an excellent capacity retention ratio of 63.1% after 300 cycles between 4.3 and 2.75 V at 55 °C, however, that of a pristine cell is only 29.7%. In contrast of the pristine cell, the storage stability of the Al(OH)3-mixed LiCo1/3Ni1/3Mn1/3O2 cell is also enhanced greatly. It is found that reducing unwanted side-reactions on cathode with the electrolyte by adsorbing trace amounts of HF in the electrolyte lead to improvement in the electrochemical performances of Al(OH)3-mixed LiCo1/3Ni1/3Mn1/3O2 cells.