High rate performance of LiNi1/3Co1/3Mn1/3O2 cathode material synthesized by a carbon gel–combustion process for lithium ion batteries

Abstract

The LiNi1/3Co1/3Mn1/3O2 electrode material was prepared via a carbon gel–combustion process using resorcinol–formaldehyde gel as fuel and nitrate as an oxidizer. The carbon gel process ensures the molecular-level homogeneity of the chemical product. The gas derived from carbon gel separates the raw material particles and restrains the growth of the grains to some extent, and well-crystallized nanosized powders are obtained with calcination at 700°C for 6h. As the cathode material for lithium-ion batteries, the discharge capacity of LiNi1/3Co1/3Mn1/3O2 was as high as 175.6mAhg−1 in the first cycle at 0.5C, and it could remain 163.0mAhg−1 within the voltage range of 2.5–4.4V after 50 cycles. The electrode also showed outstanding rate capacities at high discharge rates such as 30C and 50C, suggesting the applications of the material in high power lithium-ion batteries.