Effect of precursor particle size and morphology on lithiation of Ni0.6Mn0.2Co0.2(OH)2

Abstract

In this paper, Ni0.6Mn0.2Co0.2(OH)2 precursors with several different morphologies and particle sizes are mixed with Li2CO3 and heat treated for 5, 7.5 and 10 h. The effects of the precursor properties on the degree of lithiation, electrochemical properties and volumetric capacities of lithiated product are compared. Based on the characterization results, a small (3 μm), narrow span precursor can be lithiated in a short period of time (5 h) and has good initial discharge capacity (185 mA h g− 1) and capacity retention (93% for 55 cycles). In contrast, a large wide-span precursor requires over 10 h for full lithiation. A highly porous precursor can be lithiated faster than traditional large wide-span materials, and has low cation mixing and good crystallinity. However, the volumetric energy density of porous material is low after lithiation compared to the other tested materials. Capacity retention after washing correlated with crystallographic properties of the sample. Graphic abstract: [Figure not available: see fulltext.].