Thermal, electrochemical and in-situ structural study of stabilized LiNiyCo1-y-zMzO2 (M = Al and Mg) lithium-ion cathode materials prepared by a soft chemistry route

Doped LiNiyCo1-y-zMzO2, with M = Al and Mg, and z = 0.04 mole ratio, were prepared using a soft chemistry route. The thermal behaviour of these materials was studied to confirm their stability using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The reversibility and rate capabilities of the cathodes in lithium cells were characterized using electrochemical measurements. A recently developed in-situ x-ray technique was used to investigate the structural properties of the oxides upon galvanostatic cycling. The addition of Al and Mg, as dopants, was demonstrated to dramatically improve the stability of LiNi0.8Co0.2O2.