Characterization of high tap density Li[Ni1/3Co1/3Mn1/3]O2 cathode material synthesized via hydroxide co-precipitation

Li[Ni1/3Co1/3Mn1/3]O2 cathode material for lithium ion batteries was prepared by mixing metal hydroxide, (Ni1/3Co1/3Mn1/3)(OH)2, with 6% excess LiOH followed by calcinations. The (Ni1/3Co1/3Mn1/3)(OH)2 with secondary particle of about 12 μm was prepared by hydroxide co-precipitation. The tap density of the obtained Li[Ni1/3Co1/3Mn1/3]O2 powder was 2.56 ± 0.21 g cm−3. The powder was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), particle size distribution (PSD) and galvanostatic charge–discharge cycling. The XRD pattern of Li[Ni1/3Co1/3Mn1/3]O2 revealed a well ordered hexagonal layered structure with low cation mixing. Secondary particles with size of 13–14 μm and primary particles with size of about 1 μm can be identified from the SEM observations. In the voltage range of 2.8–4.3 V, the initial discharge capacity of the Li[Ni1/3Co1/3Mn1/3]O2 electrode was 166.6 mAh g−1, and 96.5% of the initial capacity was retained after 50 charge–discharge cycling.