Embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to hydrogen-selective oxygen carrier materials and methods of using hydrogen-selective oxygen carrier materials. The hydrogen-selective oxygen carrier material may comprise a core material, which includes a redox-active transition metal oxide; a shell material, which includes one or more alkali transition metal oxides; and a support material. The shell material may be in direct contact with at least a majority of an outer surface of the core material. At least a portion of the core material may be in direct contact with the support material. The hydrogen-selective oxygen carrier material may be selective to combust hydrogen in an environment that includes hydrogen and hydrocarbons.

Embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to hydrogen-selective oxygen carrier materials and methods of using hydrogen-selective oxygen carrier materials. The hydrogen-selective oxygen carrier material may comprise a core material, which includes a redox-active transition metal oxide; a shell material, which includes one or more alkali transition metal oxides; and a support material. The shell material may be in direct contact with at least a majority of an outer surface of the core material. At least a portion of the core material may be in direct contact with the support material. The hydrogen-selective oxygen carrier material may be selective to combust hydrogen in an environment that includes hydrogen and hydrocarbons.

Provided are a composite precursor of a cathode active material, the composite precursor including a cobalt hydroxide and a cobalt oxyhydroxide, where an X-ray diffraction spectrum of the composite precursor has a first peak observed at a diffraction angle (2θ) of 19.5°±0.5° and a second peak observed at a diffraction angle (2θ) of 38.5°±0.5°; a cathode active material prepared from the composite precursor; a cathode and a lithium battery including the composite precursor; and a method of preparing the composite precursor.

Provided are a composite precursor of a cathode active material, the composite precursor including a cobalt hydroxide and a cobalt oxyhydroxide, where an X-ray diffraction spectrum of the composite precursor has a first peak observed at a diffraction angle (2θ) of 19.5°±0.5° and a second peak observed at a diffraction angle (2θ) of 38.5°±0.5°; a cathode active material prepared from the composite precursor; a cathode and a lithium battery including the composite precursor; and a method of preparing the composite precursor.

There are provided processes for preparing a metal hydroxide comprising (i) at least one metal chosen from nickel and cobalt and optionally (ii) at least one metal chosen from manganese, lithium and aluminum, the process comprising: reacting a metal sulfate comprising (i) at least one metal chosen from nickel and cobalt and optionally (ii) at least one metal chosen from manganese, lithium and aluminum with lithium hydroxide, sodium hydroxide and/or potassium hydroxide and optionally a chelating agent in order to obtain a solid comprising the metal hydroxide and a liquid comprising lithium sulfate, sodium sulfate and/or potassium sulfate; separating the liquid and the solid from one another to obtain the metal hydroxide; submitting the liquid comprising lithium sulfate, sodium sulfate and/or potassium sulfate to an electromembrane process for converting the lithium sulfate, sodium sulfate and/or potassium sulfate into lithium hydroxide, sodium hydroxide and/or potassium hydroxide respectively; reusing the sodium hydroxide obtained by the electromembrane process for reacting with the metal sulfate; and reusing the lithium hydroxide obtained by the electromembrane process for reacting with the metal sulfate and/or with the metal hydroxide.

There are provided processes for preparing a metal hydroxide comprising (i) at least one metal chosen from nickel and cobalt and optionally (ii) at least one metal chosen from manganese, lithium and aluminum, the process comprising: reacting a metal sulfate comprising (i) at least one metal chosen from nickel and cobalt and optionally (ii) at least one metal chosen from manganese, lithium and aluminum with lithium hydroxide, sodium hydroxide and/or potassium hydroxide and optionally a chelating agent in order to obtain a solid comprising the metal hydroxide and a liquid comprising lithium sulfate, sodium sulfate and/or potassium sulfate; separating the liquid and the solid from one another to obtain the metal hydroxide; submitting the liquid comprising lithium sulfate, sodium sulfate and/or potassium sulfate to an electromembrane process for converting the lithium sulfate, sodium sulfate and/or potassium sulfate into lithium hydroxide, sodium hydroxide and/or potassium hydroxide respectively; reusing the sodium hydroxide obtained by the electromembrane process for reacting with the metal sulfate; and reusing the lithium hydroxide obtained by the electromembrane process for reacting with the metal sulfate and/or with the metal hydroxide.

Mixed-metal oxides and lithiated mixed-metal oxides are disclosed that involve compounds according to, respectively, Ni.sub.xMn.sub.yCo.sub.zMe.sub.αO.sub.β and Li.sub.1+γNi.sub.xMn.sub.yCo.sub.zMe.sub.αO.sub.β. In these compounds, Me is selected from B, Na, Mg, Al, Si, K, Ca, Sc, Ti, V, Cr, Fe, Cu, Zn, Ga, Ge, Zr, Nb, Mo, Ru, Ag, In, and combinations thereof; 0≤x≤1; 0≤y≤1; 0≤z<1; x+y+z>0; 0≤α≤0.5; and x+y+α>0. For the mixed-metal oxides, 1≤β≤5. For the lithiated mixed-metal oxides, −0.1≤γ≤1.0 and 1.9≤β≤3. The mixed-metal oxides and the lithiated mixed-metal oxides include particles having an average density greater than or equal to 90% of an ideal crystalline density.

Mixed-metal oxides and lithiated mixed-metal oxides are disclosed that involve compounds according to, respectively, Ni.sub.xMn.sub.yCo.sub.zMe.sub.αO.sub.β and Li.sub.1+γNi.sub.xMn.sub.yCo.sub.zMe.sub.αO.sub.β. In these compounds, Me is selected from B, Na, Mg, Al, Si, K, Ca, Sc, Ti, V, Cr, Fe, Cu, Zn, Ga, Ge, Zr, Nb, Mo, Ru, Ag, In, and combinations thereof; 0≤x≤1; 0≤y≤1; 0≤z<1; x+y+z>0; 0≤α≤0.5; and x+y+α>0. For the mixed-metal oxides, 1≤β≤5. For the lithiated mixed-metal oxides, −0.1≤γ≤1.0 and 1.9≤β≤3. The mixed-metal oxides and the lithiated mixed-metal oxides include particles having an average density greater than or equal to 90% of an ideal crystalline density.

Embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to methods of producing a hydrogen- selective oxygen carrier material comprising combining one or more core material precursors and one or more shell material precursors to from a precursor mixture and heat-treating the precursor mixture at a treatment temperature to form the hydrogen-selective oxygen carrier material. The treatment temperature is greater than or equal to 100° C. less than the melting point of a shell material, and the hydrogen- selective oxygen carrier material comprises a core comprising a core material and a shell comprising the shell material. The shell material may be in direct contact with at least a majority of an outer surface of the core material.

This application relates to a metal oxide and a method for preparing the same. Specifically, Co.sub.3O.sub.4 is selected as a precursor of lithium cobalt oxide, and one or more metal elements M are doped in the particles of Co.sub.3O.sub.4 to obtain a doped lithium cobalt oxide precursor Co.sub.3-xM.sub.xO.sub.4, where 0<x≤0.3. The difference value, measured by a spectrometer of a scanning electron microscope, of the weight percentage of one of M in two identical area regions is E, wherein 0<E≤1% (wt. %). A lithium ion battery with lithium cobalt oxide prepared from the precursor as a cathode material shows great cycle stability, high-temperature energy storage performance and safety performance in a high-voltage (equal to or greater than 4.45 V) charging and discharging environment.