Low-temperature cobalt oxide as rechargeable cathodic material for lithium batteries

The present paper describes a novel synthesis of LiCoO2 obtained from a solution technique. Low-temperature LiCoO2 compound has been prepared by the reaction of lithium and ammonium hydroxyde with a cobalt nitrate aqueous solution. An appropriate heat treatment of the corresponding precipitate performed at 400 °C in air leads to a crystallized layered LiCoO2. Preliminary structural and electrochemical experiments are reported and evidenced that lithium extraction occurs at a lower potential (3.7 V) than for its high-temperature analogue with a maximum depth of charge of 0.5 Li/Co when used in a conventional electrolyte.