High density and high voltage stable cathode materials for secondary batteries

A lithium metal oxide powder for use as a cathode material in a rechargeable battery, the metal in the powder comprising Co, Ni, and Mn and either one or more of Ti, Mg, and Al, the powder having an electrical conductivity of less than 10−5 S/cm, when pressed with 63.7 MPa at 25° C., and the powder having a reversible electrode capacity of at least 200 mAh/g and an energy fading inferior to 60%, when used as an active component in a cathode which is cycled between 3.0 and 4.6 V vs. Li+/Li at a discharge rate of 0.5C at 25° C., wherein the energy fade is an extrapolated value for 100 cycles based on the result after 23 cycles of the division of 1) the difference of the discharged energy of a reference cycle at 1C discharge rate before and a reference cycle at 1C discharge rate after a stability cycling test comprising 22 cycles at a discharge rate of 0.5C, by 2) the discharged energy of the reference cycle at 1C discharge rate before the stability cycling test, wherein the powder has the general formula x LiCoO2.(1−x)MOy, where 0.1<x<1, 0.5<y≦2, and M comprises Li and M′, with M′=NiaMnbCocTidMge, with a+b+c+d+e=1, and a+b>0.5 and c≧0, d≧0, e≧0, and wherein the Li in M represents a quantity of moles m, with 0≦m/M″≦0.0501 mol/mol, wherein M″ is the quantity of transition metals in the powder, the powder consisting of a core and a shell, wherein the core comprises either LiCoO2 or LiCoO2 plus one or more of Ni, Mn, Al, Mg and Ti and the shell has an island-like morphology comprising a plurality of islands, wherein the islands have a formula LiM′″O2 with M′″=Nim′MnnCo1−m′−n, m′≧n, 0.1<m′+n≦0.9, and wherein the concentration of Ni and Mn in the islands is greater than that in the core and the concentration of Co in the core is greater than that in the islands, and wherein the islands are sintered to the core.

A lithium metal oxide powder for use as a cathode material in a rechargeable battery, the metal in the powder comprising Co, Ni, and Mn and either one or more of Ti, Mg, and Al, the powder having an electrical conductivity of less than 10−5 S/cm, when pressed with 63.7 MPa at 25° C., and the powder having a 10C rate performance of at least 90%, and an energy fading inferior to 10%, when used as an active component in a cathode which is cycled between 3.0 and 4.4 V vs. Li+/Li, wherein the energy fade is an extrapolated value for 100 cycles based on the result after 23 cycles of the division of 1) the difference of the discharged energy of a reference cycle at 1C discharge rate before and a reference cycle at 1C discharge rate after a stability cycling test comprising 22 cycles at a discharge rate of 0.5C, by 2) the discharged energy of the reference cycle at 1C discharge rate before the stability cycling test, wherein the powder has the general formula x LiCoO2.(1−x)MOy, where 0.1<x<1, 0.5<y≦2, and M comprises Li and M′, with M′=NiaMnbCocTidMge, with a+b+c+d+e=1, and a+b>0.5 and c≧0, d≧0, e≧0, and wherein the Li in M represents a quantity of moles m, with 0≦m/M″≦0.0501 mol/mol, wherein M″ is the quantity of transition metals in the powder, and wherein the powder consists of a core and a shell, wherein the core comprises LiCoO2 or LiCoO2 plus one or more of Ni, Mn, Al, Mg and Ti and the shell has an island like morphology comprising a plurality of islands, wherein the islands have a formula LiM′″O2 with M′″=Nim′MnnCo1−m′−n, m′≧n, 0.1<m′+n≦0.9, and wherein the concentration of Ni and Mn in the islands is greater than that in the core and the concentration of Co in the core is greater than that in the islands, and wherein the islands are sintered to the core.

A lithium metal oxide powder for use as a cathode material in a rechargeable battery, the metal in the powder comprising Co, Ni, and Mn and either one or more of Ti, Mg, and Al, the powder having an electrical conductivity of less than 10−5 S/cm, when pressed with 63.7 MPa at 25° C., and the powder having a 20C rate performance of at least 85%, and an energy fading inferior to 10% when used as an active component in a cathode which is cycled between 3.0 and 4.4 V vs. Li+/Li, wherein the energy fade is an extrapolated value for 100 cycles based on the result after 23 cycles of the division of 1) the difference of the discharged energy of a reference cycle at 1C discharge rate before and a reference cycle at 1C discharge rate after a stability cycling test comprising 22 cycles at a discharge rate of 0.5C, by 2) the discharged energy of the reference cycle at 1C discharge rate before the stability cycling test, wherein the powder has the general formula x LiCoO2.(1−x)MOy, where 0.1<x<1, 0.5<y≦2, and M comprises Li and M′, with M′=NiaMnbCocTidMge, with a+b+c+d+e=1, and a+b>0.5 and c≧0, d≧0, e≧0, and wherein the Li in M represents a quantity of moles m, with 0≦m/M″≦0.0501 mol/mol, wherein M″ is the quantity of transition metals in the powder, and wherein the powder consists of a core and a shell, wherein the core comprises LiCoO2 or LiCoO2 plus one or more of Ni, Mn, Al, Mg and Ti and the shell has an island like morphology comprising a plurality of islands, wherein the islands have a formula LiM′″O2 with M′″=Nim′MnnCo1−m′−n, m′≧n, 0.1<m′+n≦0.9, and wherein the concentration of Ni and Mn in the islands is greater than that in the core and the concentration of Co in the core is greater than that in the islands, and wherein the islands are sintered to the core.

A lithium metal oxide powder for use as a cathode material in a rechargeable battery, the metal in the powder comprising Co, Ni, and Mn and either one or more of Ti, Mg, and Al, the powder consisting of a core and a shell, wherein:

• the core comprises LiCoO2 or doped LiCoO2 comprising between 0.1 and 1 mol % of either one or more of Al, Mg and Ti;
• and
• the shell has an island like morphology comprising a plurality of islands, wherein the islands comprise one of the following particles, which are densely sintered to the surface of the core:
• a Li—Ni—Mn—Co-oxide comprising m moles of Li, or
• a Ni—Mn—Co comprising powder and a Li-comprising compound comprising m moles of Li;
• wherein 0≦m/M″≦0.0501 mol/mol, M″ being the total molar quantity of transition metals in the lithium metal oxide powder, wherein the concentration of Ni and Mn in the islands is greater than that in the core and the concentration of Co in the core is greater than that in the islands.