Lithium cobalt oxide is an inorganic compound with the chemical formula LiCoO₂, commonly used as the positive electrode material in lithium-ion batteries. It appears as a grayish-black powder, and inhalation or skin contact can cause allergies.
Lithium cobalt oxide is generally used as a cathode material for lithium-ion secondary batteries. The liquid-phase synthesis process uses polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) or polyethylene glycol (PEG) aqueous solution as solvent. Lithium salt and cobalt salt are dissolved in PVA or PEG aqueous solution respectively. The mixed solution is heated and concentrated to form a gel. The generated gel is then heated and decomposed, and then calcined at high temperature. The calcined powder is then ground and sieved to obtain lithium cobalt oxide powder.
Physicochemical properties of lithium cobalt oxide
Properties of lithium cobalt oxide: It appears as a grayish-black powder; it is a strong oxidizing agent in acidic solutions, capable of oxidizing Cl- to Cl2 and Mn2+ to MnO4-; its redox potential in acidic solutions is weaker than that of ferric acid, but much higher than that of permanganate.
Characteristics of lithium cobalt oxide
1. Superior electrochemical performance: a. Average capacity decay per cycle <0.05%; b. Initial discharge specific capacity >135mAh/g; c. 3.6V initial discharge plateau ratio >85%.
2. Excellent processing performance.
3. High tap density helps improve the volumetric capacity of the battery.
4. The product has stable performance and good consistency.
Applications of lithium cobalt oxide
Lithium cobalt oxide is mainly used as a positive electrode material in lithium-ion batteries for mobile phones, laptops and other portable electronic devices.
The application of lithium cobalt oxide batteries is still relatively limited. While the technology for using lithium cobalt in small batteries is mature, its cost is currently too high, leading many companies to use lithium manganese as a substitute, and some even use entirely manganese-based batteries. Lithium cobalt oxide offers stable performance and is currently the most mature technology used in mobile phones, but its biggest drawback is its high cost, as cobalt is a relatively scarce strategic metal. Furthermore, its application in power lithium batteries presents certain challenges.
