The characteristics of Li(Ni1/3Co1/3Mn1/3)O2 particles prepared from precursor particles with spherical shape obtained by spray pyrolysis

Spherical and fine-sized Li(Ni1/3Co1/3Mn1/3)O2 particles were prepared using spray pyrolysis. Precursor particles with mixed Mn2O3, Co3O4 and NiO compositions were prepared using spray pyrolysis from aqueous and polymeric precursor solutions. The precursor particles prepared from the aqueous solution had hollow and porous morphologies. The precursor particles prepared from the polymeric precursor solution with citric acid and ethylene glycol were spherical in shape and had filled morphologies. The spherical precursor particles with filled morphologies formed spherical, fine-sized Li(Ni1/3Co1/3Mn1/3)O2 particles with filled morphologies after post-treatment with LiOH. The mean crystallite sizes of the Li(Ni1/3Co1/3Mn1/3)O2 particles prepared from spray solutions with and without lithium at the post-treatment temperature of 800 °C were 56 and 31 nm, respectively. The initial discharge capacities of the Li(Ni1/3Co1/3Mn1/3)O2 particles prepared using spray pyrolysis from spray solutions with and without lithium were 178 and 181 mAh g−1, respectively, after a post-treatment temperature of 800 °C.