Synthesis of LiCoO₂ cathode materials for Li-ion batteries at low temperatures

It is costly to synthesize cathode materials through the solid reaction of raw materials at relatively high temperatures due to its high energy consumption. Here, we use LiCoO₂ as a model material to demonstrate a novel method for synthesizing cathode materials within 120 s at temperatures as low as 260 °C under an AC electric field. The influence of the current density, current retention time, and synthesis atmosphere on the prepared LiCoO₂ materials was systematically investigated. The results indicate that the acceleration of the synthesis process between Co₂O₃ and Li₂CO₃ is due to the introduction of oxygen vacancies into the reaction system under a threshold electric field. The obtained LiCoO₂ exhibits the same electrochemical performance as that of LiCoO₂ synthesized via the conventional thermal reaction method. The proposed synthesis method could provide a cost-effective pathway to synthesize different cathode materials.