Journal article

Publication year: 2022

Journal: Journal of The Electrochemical Society

Volume number: 169

Issue number: 5

ISSN: 0013-4651

eISSN: 1945-7111

Open access status: Hybrid

DOI Link: https://doi.org/10.1149/1945-7111/ac6c0b

Publisher: The Electrochemical Society

Abstract: 
Efficient manufacturing of cathode active materials (CAMs) for Li-ion batteries is one key target on the roadmap towards cost reduction and improved sustainability. This work deals with a two-stage calcination process for the synthesis of LiNiO2 (LNO) consisting of a (partial) lithiation step at moderate temperatures and short dwell times and a subsequent high temperature crystallization to decouple the chemical reactions and crystal growth. The use of an agitated-bed lithiation using the rotational movement of a rotary kiln setup shows beneficial effects compared to its fixed-bed counterpart in a crucible as the lithiation reaction is faster under otherwise comparable conditions. The temperature profile for the agitated-bed process was further optimized to avoid the presence of needle-like LiOH residuals in the intermediate product indicative of an incomplete reaction. The partially-lithiated samples were subjected to a second calcination step at a maximum calcination temperature of 700 degrees C and afterwards revealed comparable physico-chemical properties and electrochemical behavior compared to a reference sample made by a standard one-stage calcination. In a simplified model calculation, the proposed calcination concept leads to an increase in throughput by a factor of similar to 3 and thus could embody an important lever for the efficiency of future CAM production.

Harvard Citation style: Kurzhals, P., Riewald, F., Bianchini, M., Ahmed, S., Kern, A., Walther, F., et al. (2022) Deeper Understanding of the Lithiation Reaction during the Synthesis of LiNiO2 Towards an Increased Production Throughput, Journal of The Electrochemical Society, 169(5), Article 050526. https://doi.org/10.1149/1945-7111/ac6c0b

APA Citation style: Kurzhals, P., Riewald, F., Bianchini, M., Ahmed, S., Kern, A., Walther, F., Sommer, H., Volz, K., & Janek, J. (2022). Deeper Understanding of the Lithiation Reaction during the Synthesis of LiNiO2 Towards an Increased Production Throughput. Journal of The Electrochemical Society. 169(5), Article 050526. https://doi.org/10.1149/1945-7111/ac6c0b