Synthesis and characterization of li-rich cathode material for lithium ion batteries

Lithium rich (Li-rich) transition metal oxide cathodes are considered to be among the most promising intercalation cathode materials used for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) with their high energy density above 900 Wh/kg. Li_1.252Mn_0.557Ni_0.123Co_0.126Al_0.0142O₂ layered Li-rich nickel manganese cobalt (NMC) cathode material was synthesized by sol-gel method. This study aims to reveal the superiority of Li-rich cathode material over existing commercial cathodes. The stoichiometric ratio of Li-rich cathode material was confirmed by Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectroscopy (ICP-MS), portable X-ray Fluorescence (pXRF) and Instrumented Neutron Activation Analysis (INAA). Structural and morphological characterization of Li-rich NMC material was examined with X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Scanning Electron Microscopy-Emission with Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (SEM-EDS). Electrochemical performances of Li-rich NMC and commercial NMC111 cathode materials in coin cell at C/10, C/5 and 1C were investigated. The discharge capacity of Li-rich NMC and NMC111 was found to be 160, 156, 96 mAhg⁻¹ and 153, 120, 72 mAhg⁻¹ at C/10, C/5, 1C, respectively.