Disclosed is a lithium manganese (Mn)-based oxide including Mn as an essential transition metal and having a layered crystal structure, in which the amount of Mn is greater than that of other transition metal(s), the lithium manganese-based oxide exhibits flat level section characteristics in which release of oxygen occurs together with lithium deintercalation during first charging in a high voltage range of 4.4 V or higher, and at least one of a transition metal layer including Mn and an oxygen layer is substituted or doped with a pillar element.

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.

A cathode active material including a lithium transition metal oxide of Chemical Formula 1:
Li.sub.2-xMe.sub.xM.sub.yMn.sub.1-yO.sub.3-δ  Chemical Formula 1
wherein 0≦x≦0.2, 0≦y≦0.2, 0<x+y≦0.4, and 0≦δ<1, and Me and M are each independently one or more metals selected from magnesium (Mg), calcium (Ca), strontium (Sr), titanium (Ti), zirconium (Zr), hafnium (Hf), vanadium (V), niobium (Nb), tantalum (Ta), tungsten (W), technetium (Tc), rhenium (Re), ruthenium (Ru), osmium (Os), cobalt (Co), rhodium (Rh), iridium (Ir), nickel (Ni), palladium (Pd), platinum (Pt), copper (Cu), aluminum (Al), gallium (Ga), indium (In), silicon (Si), germanium (Ge), tin (Sn), and a rare earth element.

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<r≤0.25, 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.

Disclosed are a method for preparing lithium nickel cobalt manganese oxide by reverse positioning of a power battery and use thereof. The method first mixes and grinds a positive electrode tab and a slagging agent, then dries, cools, adds an aluminum powder, mixes well, conducts a self-propagating reaction to the mixed material, cools, takes a lower layer of rough nickel cobalt manganese alloy, grinds the rough nickel cobalt manganese alloy, adds an alkali liquor, then immerses, filters, takes the filter residue for washing and then dries, to obtain a nickel cobalt manganese alloy powder, adds a lithium salt solution to the porous nickel cobalt manganese alloy powder, mixes and drips an alkali liquor, ages, filters, takes a filter residue for washing and then dries, to obtain a mixed powder of precursor, sinters the mixed powder of precursor and cools, to obtain a lithium nickel cobalt manganese oxide.

Disclosed are a method for preparing lithium nickle cobalt manganese oxide by reverse positioning of a power battery and use thereof. The method first mixes and grinds a positive electrode tab and a slagging agent, then dries, cools, adds an aluminum powder, mixes well, conducts a self-propagating reaction to the mixed material, cools, takes a lower layer of rough nickel cobalt manganese alloy, grinds the rough nickel cobalt manganese alloy, adds an alkali liquor, then immerses, filters, takes the filter residue for washing and then dries, to obtain a nickel cobalt manganese alloy powder, adds a lithium salt solution to the porous nickel cobalt manganese alloy powder, mixes and drips an alkali liquor, ages, filters, takes a filter residue for washing and then dries, to obtain a mixed powder of precursor, sinters the mixed powder of precursor and cools, to obtain a lithium nickle cobalt manganese oxide.

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 δLiNi.sub.mCo.sub.nX.sub.(1-m-n)O.sub.2.Math.(1−δ)Li.sub.2MO.sub.3, where 0≤δ≤1, 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, 0≤m<1, and 0≤n<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 δLiNi.sub.mCo.sub.nX.sub.(1-m-n)O.sub.2.Math.(1−δ)Li.sub.2MO.sub.3, 0≤δ≤1, 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, 0≤m<1, 0≤n<1, and 0≤m+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<r≤0.25, 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 positive electrode active material includes secondary particles. The secondary particles include a plurality of primary particles. The primary particles include a lithium-containing composite metal oxide. Inside the secondary particles, an electron conducting oxide is disposed at at least a part of a grain boundary between the primary particles. The electron conducting oxide has a perovskite structure.