A simple one-step molten salt method for synthesis of micron-sized single primary particle LiNi_0.8Co_0.1Mn_0.1O₂ cathode material for lithium-ion batteries

A simple one-step molten salt method was used to synthesize micron-sized single primary particle LiNi_0.8Co_0.1Mn_0.1O₂ (NCM811) cathode material. XRD, SEM, cycle performance, rate capability, differential capacity curves, 0.1 C charge/discharge curves, and EIS were carried out to research the mechanism regarding the influence of Li/transition metal (Li/TM) ratio, sinter temperature, and sinter time on the morphology and electrochemical properties of micron-sized single primary particle LiNi_0.8Co_0.1Mn_0.1O₂ materials. Any one of these three factors increases exceeding certain limit and it will lead to the degradation of active structure evolution during the charge/discharge process, resulting in decreasing electrochemical performance of the cathode material. The micron-sized single primary particle NCM811 cathode material with little aggregation and primary particle size of ~ 1–2 μm was produced successfully under the condition of heating at 850 °C for 16 h with Li/TM = 1.15. This work will be helpful for the synthesis of micron-sized single primary particle NCM cathode materials for lithium-ion batteries.