Preparation and characterization of lithium nickel cobalt oxide powders via a wet chemistry processing

Nickel-rich phases of the solid solutions, LiNi_1−yCo_yO₂ (y=0.1, 0.2, 0.3), were synthesized by a sol–gel method with citric acid as a chelating agent. Various initial conditions were studied in order to find the optimal conditions for the synthesis of LiNi_0.8Co_0.2O₂. The discharge capacity for the compound synthesized under an optimal synthesis condition of 800 °C for 12 h was found to be 187 mAh g⁻¹ in the 1st cycle and it was 176 mAh g⁻¹ after 10 cycles. The other nickel-rich phases, namely, LiNi_0.9Co_0.1O₂ and LiNi_0.7Co_0.3O₂ showed 1st-cycle discharge capacities of 144 and 163 mAh g⁻¹, respectively. The corresponding capacity values were 140 and 159 mAh g⁻¹ in the 10th cycle. Excess lithium stoichiometric phases, Li_xNi_0.8Co_0.2O₂, where x=1.10, 1.15 and 1.20, resulted in decreased capacity. Structural and electrochemical properties of the synthesized compounds were compared with those of a commercial LiNi_0.8Co_0.2O₂ sample. The effect of calcination temperature and duration, excess lithium stoichiometry and divalent strontium doping in LiNi_0.8Co_0.2O₂ are described. Doping with strontium improved both the capacity and cycling performance of LiNi_0.8Co_0.2O₂.