A lithium cobalt-based oxide cathode active material powder comprising particles having a median particle size D50 of greater than or equal to 20 μm, preferably 25 μm, and less than or equal to 45 μm, said particles having an averaged circularity of greater than or equal to 0.85 and less than or equal to 1.00, said particles having a general formula Li.sub.1+aCo.sub.1-x-y-zAl.sub.xM′.sub.yMe.sub.zO.sub.2, wherein M′ and Me comprise at least one element of the group consisting of: Ni, Mn, Nb, Ti, W, Zr, and Mg, with −0.01≤a≤0.01, 0.002≤x≤0.050, 0≤y≤0.020 and 0≤z≤0.050, said lithium cobalt-based oxide particles having a R-3m structure and (018) diffraction peak asymmetry factor A.sub.D(018) of greater than or equal to 0.85 and less than or equal to 1.15, said diffraction peak asymmetry factor being obtained by a synchrotron XRD spectrum analysis with an emission wavelength λ value equal to 0.825 Å.

A positive active material for a rechargeable lithium battery includes a first positive active material including a secondary particle including at least two agglomerated primary particles, where at least one part of the primary particles has a radial arrangement structure, as well as a second positive active material having a monolith structure, wherein the first and second positive active materials may each include nickel-based positive active materials and the surface of the second positive active material is coated with a boron-containing compound. Further embodiments provide a method of preparing the positive active material, and a rechargeable lithium battery including a positive electrode including the positive active material.

A positive electrode active material comprising a lithium metal composite oxide having a layered crystal structure provides a novel lithium metal composite oxide powder which can suppress the reaction with an electrolytic solution and raise the charge-discharge cycle ability of a battery, and can improve the output characteristics of a battery. A lithium metal composite oxide powder comprises a particle having a surface portion where one or a combination of two or more (“surface element A”) of the group consisting of Al, Ti and Zr is present, on the surface of a particle comprising a lithium metal composite oxide having a layered crystal structure, wherein the amount of surface LiOH is smaller than 0.10% by weight, and the amount of surface Li.sub.2CO.sub.3 is smaller than 0.25% by weight; in an X-ray diffraction pattern, the ratio of an integral intensity of the (003) plane of the lithium metal composite oxide to that of the (104) plane thereof is higher than 1.15; and the amount of S obtained by a measurement using ICP is smaller than 0.10% by weight of the lithium metal composite oxide powder (100% by weight).

The present invention relates to heterogeneous acid catalysts comprising or consisting of mixed metal salts, of lithium and aluminum phosphates and sulfates, and combinations with metallic cations, such as magnesium, titanium, zinc, zirconium and gallium, to provide adequate Lewis acidity; organic or inorganic porosity promoters, such as polysaccharides; and agglomerates, such as clays, kaolin and metal oxides of the type M.sub.xO.sub.y, where; M=Al, Mg, Sr, Zr or Ti, and other metals of groups IA, IIA and IVB, x=1 or 2 and y=2 or 3, for the formation of particles. A process is disclosed for obtaining from the catalyst by the hydrolysis of aluminum lithium hydride with water and oxygenated solvent, such as an ether. The catalysts are used in batch reactor and continuous flow systems in reactions that require moderate Lewis acidity, such as refining, petrochemical and general chemistry, including the transesterification of glycerides to produce alkyl esters.

The present application discloses a positive electrode active material, a positive electrode plate, a lithium-ion secondary battery, and an apparatus. The positive electrode active material satisfies a chemical formula Li.sub.1+x(Ni.sub.aCo.sub.bMn.sub.c).sub.1−dM.sub.dO.sub.2−yA.sub.y, wherein M is one or more selected from Zr, Sr, B, Ti, Mg, Sn and Al, A is one or more selected from S, N, F, Cl, Br and I, −0.01≤x≤0.2, 0.12≤b/c≤0.9, 0.002≤b×c/a.sup.2≤0.23, a+b+c=1, 0≤d≤0.1, and 0≤y≤0.2; and an interval particle size distribution curve of the positive electrode active material has a full width at half maximum D.sub.FW of from 4 μm to 8 μm. The positive electrode active material provided in the present application has relatively low cobalt content and relatively high cycle life and capacity performance.

A method of preparing a positive electrode active material precursor for a secondary battery includes continuously adding a nickel (Ni), cobalt (Co), and manganese (Mn) transition metal cation-containing solution, an alkaline solution, and an ammonium ion-containing solution to a reactor, and forming a positive electrode active material precursor, in which nickel (Ni) and cobalt (Co) are in non-oxidized hydroxide forms and manganese (Mn) is in an oxidized form, by co-precipitation while a gas is not added or an oxygen-containing gas is continuously added to the reactor. A positive electrode active material precursor for a secondary battery is also provided which includes nickel (Ni), cobalt (Co), and manganese (Mn), wherein the nickel (Ni) and the cobalt (Co) are in non-oxidized hydroxide forms, and the manganese (Mn) is in an oxidized form.

Treated, mesoporous aggregates comprising a plurality of coated particles that comprise an inorganic oxide core having a surface area of about 50 to about 500 square meters per gram and a shell or coating consisting of an array of fluoroalkyl molecular chains covalently bonded to the core at a density of at least one chain per square nanometer. The aggregates are formed by the chemical attachment of fluoroalkyl-alkylsilanes after exposure to an alkylamine and followed by an extraction to remove any unbound organic material. The dense packing of molecular chains in the fluoroalkyl shell combined with a mesoporous structure imparts a very low surface energy, a very high specific surface area, and surface texture over a wide range of length scales. Such features are highly desirable for the creation of, for example, superhydrophobic and superoleophobic surfaces, separation media, and release films.

A preparation method of an ant nest like porous silicon for a lithium-ion battery comprises: (1) enabling a magnesium silicide raw material to react for 2-24 h in an ammonia gas or an atmosphere containing an ammonia gas at 600-900° C. to obtain a crude product containing porous silicon; and (2) subjecting the crude product containing porous silicon to an acid pickling treatment to obtain the ant nest like porous silicon. The preparation method has the advantages of simplicity and easiness. A large amount of porous silicon can be obtained by directly heating the magnesium silicide raw material in the ammonia gas or a mixed gas of the ammonia gas and an inert gas with a high yield.

Surface-modified layered double hydroxides (LDHs) are disclosed, as well as processes by which they are made, and uses of the LDHs in composite materials. The surface-modified LDHs of the invention are more organophilic than their unmodified analogues, which allows the LDHs to be incorporated in a wide variety of materials, wherein the interesting functionality of LDHs may be exploited.

A process for preparing a metal oxide-containing powder that comprises conducting spray pyrolysis that comprises aerosolizing a slurry that comprises solidphase 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.