Lithium battery cathodes being made using novel sol-gel method

Preparation and characterization of Li1-xNi1+xO2 powder used as cathode materials

Lithium batteries increasingly permeate our lives in all manner of electrical devices. Researchers from Thailand report on a study that investigates the use of the sol-gel method to produce battery cathodes from a new material. They describe their findings in the online materials journal AZojomo*.

For some time LiNiO2 has been a promising cathode material due to its large discharge capacity and low cost. Unfortunately traditional reactions used to make the material are difficult to control in relation to stoichiometry and grain size distribution. The sol-gel method allows easier control over stoichiometry, submicron-size particles and good homogeneity while being faster and done at lower temperatures. The purpose of this research is to find the optimum condition for preparation of Li1-xNi1+xO2 powder by a sol-gel method with subsequent calcination at different temperature and time in air.

The optimum condition was determined in order to obtain the product with the best electrochemical performance.