A cathode material of a lithium-ion battery and a fabricating method thereof, and a lithium-ion battery are described. The cathode material of the lithium-ion battery has hexaazatriphenylene embedded quinone (HATAQ) and/or its derivative small molecules, which have multiple redox-active sites and can form intermolecular hydrogen bonds to form a graphite-like layered structure. When HATAQ and/or its derivative small molecules are used as a cathode material, a stable structure can be maintained during a charge and discharge process and during lithium ions entering and exiting.

This disclosure provides systems, methods, and apparatus related to lithium-ion batteries. In one aspect, a method includes synthesizing an intermediate selected from a group of a nickel-manganese-cobalt nitrate, a nickel-manganese-cobalt acetate, a nickel-manganese-cobalt sulfate, a nickel-manganese-cobalt chloride, and a nickel-manganese-cobalt phosphate. The intermediate is mixed with a lithium salt selected from a group of LiOH, LiCl, LiNO.sub.3, LiSO.sub.4, LiF, LiBr, Li.sub.3PO.sub.4, Li.sub.2CO.sub.3, and combinations thereof to form a mixture. The mixture is annealed at a sequence of temperatures and times to form a plurality of single crystals of a lithium nickel-manganese-cobalt oxide, with no cooling of the mixture between operations of the sequence of temperatures and times.

A cobalt oxide for a lithium secondary battery, a method of preparing the cobalt oxide; a lithium cobalt oxide for a lithium secondary battery formed from the cobalt oxide; and a lithium secondary battery having a positive electrode including the lithium cobalt oxide, the cobalt oxide having a tap density of about 2.8 g/cc to about 3.0 g/cc, and an intensity ratio of about 0.8 to about 1.2 of a second peak at 2θ of about 31.3±1° to a first peak at 2θ of about 19±1° in X-ray diffraction spectra, as analyzed by X-ray diffraction.

A process for producing a lithium-manganese-rich layered oxide cathode material or a lithium-manganese-rich layered oxide cathode material precursor includes co-precipitating a dissolved Li compound and a dissolved Mn salt selected from the group consisting of Mn(CH.sub.3COO).sub.2, Mn(NO.sub.3).sub.2, MnSO.sub.4, and mixtures thereof, from an aqueous solution, in the presence of a precipitator which reacts at least with the dissolved Mn salt to form a carbonate, thereby providing a precipitate which includes MnCO.sub.3 and a lithium compound as a lithium-manganese-rich layered oxide cathode material precursor. The invention extends to a lithium-manganese-rich layered oxide cathode material or a lithium-manganese-rich layered oxide cathode material precursor, to an electrochemical cell, and to methods of making and operating an electrochemical cell.

The invention relates to a method for preparing core-shell structured particle precursor under a co-precipitation reaction. In this method, by controlling the feeding of different types of anion compositions and/or cation compositions, and adjusting the pH to match with the species, precipitated particles are deposited to form a precipitated particle slurry, filtering, and drying the precipitated particle slurry to yield the particle precursor. The invention also provides a particle precursor which includes a core-shell structure. The shell is made of gradient anions and/or cations. Such particle precursor can be used to prepare cathode of lithium-ion battery.

A cathode active material precursor according to embodiments of the present invention includes a composite hydroxide particle in which primary precursor particles are aggregated. The primary precursor particles include a particle having a triangular shape in which a minimum interior angle is 300 or more and a ratio of a length of a short side relative to a length of a long side is 0.5 or more. A cathode active material and a lithium secondary having improved high temperature stability is provided using the cathode active material precursor.

Provided is a method of manufacturing a positive electrode active material, which includes: (A) preparing a positive electrode active material precursor which includes a core portion including randomly aggregated primary particles and a shell portion surrounding the core portion and formed of primary particles oriented in a direction from a particle center to the outside and in which a ratio of a crystal grain size in the (100) plane to a crystal grain size in the (001) plane of the primary particles forming the shell portion is 3 or more; and (B) mixing the positive electrode active material precursor with a lithium-containing raw material and firing the mixture, wherein the lithium transition metal oxide has an average particle diameter (D.sub.50) that is 0.01% to 20% reduced as compared to an average particle diameter (D.sub.50) of the positive electrode active material precursor, in which a particle size is reduced during the manufacture of the positive electrode active material and thus particle strength and energy density are improved.

In one embodiment, a battery cell can include a cathode including at least one of MnO or Mn(OH)2. The battery can also include an anode including at least one of ZnO or Zn(OH)2 and an electrolyte. The battery cell can be a rechargeable battery cell with total capacity before first charge or discharge of less than 30% of total capacity of this battery in a fully charged state.

The present invention relates to a method of preparing a positive electrode active material precursor for a lithium secondary battery in which particle size uniformity and productivity may be improved by using three reactors, a method of preparing a positive electrode active material for a lithium secondary battery by using the above-prepared positive electrode active material precursor for a lithium secondary battery, and a positive electrode for a lithium secondary battery and a lithium secondary battery which include the above-prepared positive electrode active material for a lithium secondary battery.

A cathode material of a lithium-ion battery and a fabricating method thereof, and a lithium-ion battery are described. The cathode material of the lithium-ion battery has hexaazatriphenylene embedded quinone (HATAQ) and/or its derivative small molecules, which have multiple redox-active sites and can form intermolecular hydrogen bonds to form a graphite-like layered structure. When HATAQ and/or its derivative small molecules are used as a cathode material, a stable structure can be maintained during a charge and discharge process and during lithium ions entering and exiting.