A cathode material, a preparation method thereof, a lithium ion battery and a vehicle are provided. The cathode material comprises cathode material particles comprising a central area, and a surface layer area, wherein the central area comprises lithium oxide, and the surface layer area comprises lithium oxide and elemental sulfur, in which the lithium oxide comprises LiNi.sub.mCo.sub.nX.sub.(1-m-n)O.sub.2.Math.(1)Li.sub.2MO.sub.3, where 01, X comprises at least one selected from Mn, Al, Nb, and Fe, M comprises at least one selected from Mn, Al, Nb, Fe, Co, and Ni, 0m<1, and 0n<1.

A cathode material, a preparation method thereof, a lithium ion battery and a vehicle are provided. The cathode material comprises elemental sulfur and secondary particles formed by packing primary particles, wherein the secondary particles have a hollow structure, and the elemental sulfur fills in gaps among the primary particles and in the hollow structure. The primary particles comprise a lithium oxide, wherein the lithium oxide comprises LiNi.sub.mCo.sub.nX.sub.(1-m-n)O.sub.2:(1)Li.sub.2MO.sub.3, 01, X comprises at least one selected from Mn, Al, Nb, and Fe, M comprises at least one of Mn, Al, Nb, Fe, Co, and Ni, 0m<1, 0n<1, and 0m+n<1.

When a non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery in which a positive electrode active material comprising a layered lithium-composite oxide is used for a positive electrode is subjected to charge/discharge under a prescribed condition, in a graph showing the relationship between voltage V with discharge during 5.sup.th cycle and value dQ/dV from differentiation of battery capacity Q with discharge during 5.sup.th cycle by voltage V, peak intensity ratio r represented by the equation: r=|Ic|/(|Ia|+|Ib|+|Ic|) satisfies 0<r0.25, in which |Ia| is absolute value dQ/dV for a peak top within a range of more than 3.9V to 4.4V or less, |Ib| is absolute value dQ/dV for a peak top within a range of more than 3.5V to 3.9V or less, and |Ic| is absolute value dQ/dV for a peak top within a range of 2.0V or more to 3.5V or less.

A process for preparing a metal oxide-containing powder that comprises conducting spray pyrolysis that comprises aerosolizing a slurry that comprises solid-phase particles in a liquid that comprises at least one precursor compound, which comprises one or more metallic elements of at least one metal oxide, to form droplets of said slurry, and calcining the droplets to at least partially decompose the at least one precursor compound and form the metal oxide-containing powder having a non-hollow morphology.

[Summary] A positive electrode active material is provided to contain: a solid solution lithium-containing transition metal oxide (A) represented by Li.sub.1.5[Ni.sub.aCo.sub.bMn.sub.c[Li].sub.d]O.sub.3 (where a, b, c and d satisfy the relations of a+b+c+d=1.5, 0.1<d0.4, 1.1a+b+c<1.4, 0.2a0.7 and 0<b/a<1); and a lithium-containing transition metal oxide (B) represented by LiM.sub.XMn.sub.2XO.sub.4 (where M represents Cr or Al, and x satisfies the relation of 0x<2).

A lithium transition metal oxide composition. The composition has the formula Li.sub.a[Li.sub.bNi.sub.cMn.sub.dCo.sub.e]O.sub.2, where a0.9, b0, c>0, d>0, e>0, b+c+d+e=1, 1.05c/d1.4, 0.05e0.30, 0.9(a+b)/M1.06, and M=c+d+e. The composition has an O3 type structure.

Provided are a positive electrode active material for a rechargeable lithium battery including a compound represented by Chemical Formula 1, a positive electrode including the same, and a rechargeable lithium battery. In Chemical Formula 1, 0<a<1, 0.03x0.2, 0.35y0.7, 0<b<1, 0<c<1 and 0.5z1.0.

[00001]$\begin{array}{cc}a\left[{{\mathrm{Li}}_{1+x}\left({\mathrm{Ni}}_y{\mathrm{Mn}}_{1-y}\right)}_{1-x}{O}_2\right]+\left(1-a\right)\left[b\left({\mathrm{LiNi}}_z{\mathrm{Mn}}_{1-z}{O}_2\right)+c\left({\mathrm{Li}}_2{\mathrm{MnO}}_3\right)\right].& [\mathrm{Chemical}\mathrm{Formula}1\end{array}$

The present invention relates to positive electrode active substance particles comprising a compound having at least a crystal system belonging to a space group of R-3m and a crystal system belonging to a space group of C2/m, the positive electrode active substance particles having a specific intensity ratio; a content of Mn in the positive electrode active substance particles being controlled such that a molar ratio of Mn/(Ni+Co+Mn) therein is not less than 0.55; and the positive electrode active substance particles comprising an element A (that is at least one element selected from the group consisting of Si, Zr and Y) in an amount of 0.03 to 5% by weight and having a tap density of 0.8 to 2.4 g/cc and a compressed density of 2.0 to 3.1 g/cc. The positive electrode active substance particles can be produced by calcining a mixture of precursor particles comprising the element A, Mn, Ni and/or Co, and a lithium compound.

A positive electrode active substance having a layered rock-salt structure and having an initial charge capacity larger than that of a conventional technology is provided. The positive electrode active substance is obtained by adding an additive containing boron element to a lithium composite oxide having a layered rock-salt structure represented by Li.sub.2Mn.sub.1-xNi.sub.xO.sub.3 (0x<1) or a precursor of the lithium composite oxide, and performing heating and sintering. The amount of boron is more than 0.00075 equivalents and 0.2 equivalents or less with respect to 1 equivalent of a total of Mn and Ni of the lithium composite oxide.

A positive electrode active substance having a layered rock-salt structure and having an initial charge capacity larger than that of a conventional technology is provided. The positive electrode active substance is obtained by adding an additive containing boron element to a lithium composite oxide having a layered rock-salt structure represented by Li.sub.2Mn.sub.1-xNi.sub.xO.sub.3 (0x<1) or a precursor of the lithium composite oxide, and performing heating and sintering. The amount of boron is more than 0.00075 equivalents and 0.2 equivalents or less with respect to 1 equivalent of a total of Mn and Ni of the lithium composite oxide.