Structural and electrochemical properties of the LiCo2/3Ni1/6Mn1/6O2 positive electrode material

Cathode materials play an important role in functioning the operation of lithium-ion batteries . Recently, The layered phases in the series Li[Co(1-2y)]NiyMnyO2 have drawn a lot of attention as alternative cathode materials in Li-ion batteries, and considerable research efforts have been made to understand their structure properties relationship.In this work, we have prepared LiCo2/3Ni1/6Mn1/6O2 via the combustion method at 900°C for 12h. Structural and electrochemical properties of this material were investigated. Rietveld analysis of the XRD pattern shows this compound as having the α-NaFeO2 type structure (S.G. R-3m; a = 2.8388(2) Ǻ; c = 14.1557(1) Ǻ). Figure 1 shows the SEM image of the LiCo2/3Ni1/6Mn1/6O2 particles. The material is characterized by a high homogeneity and a granular shape with an average particles size less than 500nm.The electrochemical tests of the studied cathode shows a good reversibility of the charge/discharge process with a high initial discharge capacity of about 162mAh/g in the 2.7-4.5V range at the C/2 (Figure 2). Lithium extraction from this phase occurs without major structural modifications.