Methods for the production of cathode materials for lithium ion batteries
The present disclosure provides methods for producing cathode materials for lithium ion batteries. Cathode materials that contain manganese are emphasized. Representative materials include Li x Ni 1−y−z Mn y Co z O 2 (NMC) (where x is in the range from 0.80 to 1.3, y is in the range from 0.01 to 0.5, and z is in the range from 0.01 to 0.5), Li x Mn 2 O 4 (LM), and Li x Ni 1−y Mn y O 2 (LMN) (where x is in the range from 0.8 to 1.3 and y is in the range from 0.0 to 0.8). The process includes reactions of carboxylate precursors of nickel, manganese, and/or cobalt and lithiation with a lithium precursor. The carboxylate precursors are made from reactions of pure metals or metal compounds with carboxylic acids. The manganese precursor contains bivalent manganese and the process controls the oxidation state of manganese to avoid formation of higher oxidation states of manganese.