Structural Characterization of the Surface-Modified Li[sub x]Ni[sub 0.9]Co[sub 0.1]O[sub 2] Cathode Materials by MPO[sub 4] Coating (M=Al, Ce, SrH, and Fe) for Li-Ion Cells

Structural characterization of surface-modified cathodes ( and 0.15) using an coating (, Ce, SrH, and Fe) were investigated for their potential applications to Li-ion cells. nanoparticles that were precipitated from metal nitrate and in water at were coated on the cathodes via mixing and heat treatment at . The and -coated cathodes heat treated at were mainly made up of the rock-salt phase , while and -coated cathodes showed disordered -type hexagonal structure with a cation mixing. However, when the value decreased from 0.3 to 0.15, bare and coated cathodes which had a spinel or hexagonal structure at were transformed into a NiO-type rock-salt structure. -coated sample exhibited lowest degree of oxygen generation after annealing at , indicating the highest thermal stability among the bare and coated cathodes.