Manganese-containing cathode-active materials for lithium-ion batteries

Abstract

Manganese, which has a Clarke number of 0.06%, 1 is the tenth-most abundant element in the earth's crust, and has been utilized as a cathode-active material for manganese, alkaline-manganese, and lithium primary batteries. Mitsui Mining and Smelting (MMS) began the industrial production of electrolytic manganese dioxide (EMD) for such uses in 1949. Our company has been searching for new applications of manganese compounds. One major application is for use in lithium-ion batteries (LIB), for which we have been investigating two materials: lithium-manganese oxide spinel (LMO) and layer-structured material (LSM) containing manganese. These materials are expected to be more cost-effective than conventional lithium-cobalt oxide. © 2009 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC.