Provided by the present disclosure are a carbonate precursor that has a high-nickel and low-cobalt sandwich structure, a preparation method therefor and an application thereof. The precursor comprises an inner core and an outer shell layer, wherein the outer shell layer covers at least a part of the outer surface of the inner core. The carbonate precursor having the sandwich structure has the advantages of narrow particle size distribution, good fluidity, and an excellent electrochemical performance, and may be stably produced in both an ammonia-free system and an ammonia-containing system.

The present disclosure provides a lithium-rich carbonate precursor, a preparation method therefor, and an application thereof. The lithium-rich carbonate precursor has a solid spherical structure, and the chemical formula of the lithium-rich carbonate precursor is Ni.sub.xCo.sub.yMn.sub.(1−x−y)CO.sub.3. The precursor has the advantages of having controllable particle size, uniform particle size distribution, high sphericity, high tap density, good fluidity, and excellent electrochemical performance and energy density.

A ternary positive electrode material, a method for preparing the same, a positive electrode sheet and a lithium ion battery in which the ternary positive electrode material has a chemical composition of Li.sub.a(Ni.sub.xCo.sub.yM.sub.1-x-y).sub.1-bM′bO.sub.2-cA.sub.c, wherein 0.75≤a≤1.2, 0.5≤x<1, 0<y≤0.1, 0≤b≤0.01, 0≤c≤0.2; M is at least one selected from the group consisting of Mn and Al; M′ is at least one selected from the group consisting of Al, Zr, Ti, Y, Sr, W and Mg; A is at least one selected from the group consisting of S, F and N; and 2%≤C.sub.Col−C.sub.Co, 5%≤C.sub.Al−C.sub.All. The lithium ion battery shows better short-term kinetic performances and long-term kinetic performances, and it also exhibits excellent stability in long-term cycles.

A method for reusing a positive electrode active material includes dry-milling a positive electrode scrap comprising an active material layer on a current collector to convert the active material layer into a powdered state and to separate the active material layer from the current collector. The active material layer is a lithium composite transition metal oxide positive material active material layer. The method further includes adding a lithium precursor to a the active material layer. The method further includes thermally treating the active material layer in the powdered state to collect an active material. The method further includes obtaining a reusable active material by washing the collected active material with a basic lithium compound aqueous solution and drying the collected active material.

A layered-oxide positive electrode active material may have a molecular formula of Na.sub.xMn.sub.aFe.sub.bNi.sub.cM.sub.dN.sub.eO.sub.2-δQ.sub.f, where a doping element M is selected from at least one of Cu, Li, Ti, Zr, K, Sb, Nb, Mg, Ca, Mo, Zn, Cr, W, Bi, Sn, Ge, or Al, a doping element N is selected from at least one of Si, P, B, S, or Se, a doping element Q is selected from at least one of F, Cl, or N, 0.66≤x≤1, 0<a≤0.70, 0<b≤0.70, 0<c≤0.23, 0≤d<0.30, 0≤e≤0.30, 0≤f≤0.30, 0≤δ≤0.30, a+b+c+d+e=1, 0<e+f≤0.30, 0<(e+f)/a≤0.30, 0.20≤d+e+f≤0.30, and (b+c)/a≤1.5.

A positive-electrode material according to the present disclosure includes a positive-electrode active material and a coating layer covering the positive-electrode active material, wherein the coating layer contains oxygen and lithium, the positive-electrode active material and the coating layer constitute a coated active material, and the ratio Li/O of the lithium content to the oxygen content in a surface layer portion of the coated active material is 0.26 or less based on the atomic ratio.

A covered positive electrode active material includes a particulate positive electrode active material and a solid electrolyte that covers a surface of the positive electrode active material. The solid electrolyte forms a covering layer. The covering layer is formed such that recessed portions of the surface of the positive electrode active material are filled with the solid electrolyte. Protruding portions of the surface of the positive electrode active material are exposed on a surface of the covered positive electrode active material. A degree of unevenness of a group of particles of the positive electrode active material is defined as ζ.sub.1, a degree of unevenness of a group of particles of the covered positive electrode active material is defined as ζ.sub.2, and a degree of change in unevenness R defined by formula (2) below is greater than or equal to 1.1.

R=ζ.sub.2/ζ.sub.1   (2)

A positive-electrode active material contains a compound that has a crystal structure belonging to a space group FM3-M and contains is represented by the composition formula (1) and an insulating compound,
Li.sub.xMe.sub.yO.sub.αF.sub.β  (1)
wherein Me denotes one or two or more elements selected from the group consisting of Mn, Co, Ni, Fe, Al, B, Ce, Si, Zr, Nb, Pr, Ti, W, Ge, Mo, Sn, Bi, Cu, Mg, Ca, Ba, Sr, Y, Zn, Ga, Er, La, Sm, Yb, V, and Cr, and the following conditions are satisfied.
1.7≤x≤2.2
0.8≤y≤1.3
1≤α≤2.5
0.5≤β≤2

A nickel-based active material for a lithium secondary battery, a method of preparing the nickel-based active material, and a lithium secondary battery including a positive electrode including the nickel-based active material, the nickel-based active material comprising a secondary particle having an outer portion with a radially arranged structure and an inner portion with an irregular porous structure, wherein the inner portion of the secondary particle has a larger pore size than the outer portion of the secondary particle.

The production method is a method for producing a positive electrode active material for a lithium ion secondary battery which contains at least nickel and lithium, the method including: a firing process in which a mixture of a nickel compound powder and a lithium compound powder is fired; and a water washing process in which a lithium-nickel composite oxide powder obtained in the firing process is washed with water, wherein the firing process is performed under conditions such that a value obtained by dividing a ratio of an amount-of-substance of lithium to a total amount-of-substance of transition metals other than lithium in the lithium-nickel composite oxide powder after the washing with water by a ratio of an amount-of-substance of lithium to a total amount-of-substance of transition metals other than lithium in the lithium-nickel composite oxide powder before the washing with water exceeds 0.95.