Preparation and electrochemical/thermal properties of LiNi0.74Co0.26O2 cathode material

Electrochemical and thermal properties of LiNi0.74Co0.26O2 cathode material with 5, 13 and 25 μm-sized particles have been studied by using a coin-type half-cell Li/LiNi0.74Co0.26O2. The specific capacity of the material ranges from 205 to 210 mA h g−1, depending on the particle size or the Brunauer, Emmett and Teller (BET) surface area. Among the particle sizes, the cathode with a particle size of 13 μm shows the highest specific capacity. Even though the material with a particle size of 5 μm exhibits the smallest capacity value of 205 mA h g−1, no capacity fading was observed after 70 cycles between 4.3 and 2.75 V at the 1 C rate. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) studies of the charged electrode at 4.3 V show a close relationship between particle size (BET surface area) and thermal stability of the electrode, namely, a larger particle size (smaller BET surface area) leads to a better thermal stability of the LiNi0.74Co0.26O2 cathode.