Environmentally Friendly Synthesis of LiNi0.80Co0.15Al0.05O2 Cathode Material for Li-ion Batteries and Its Galvanostic Test Using Artificial Graphite Anode

Homogenous LiNi_0.8Co_0,15Al_0.05O₂ (NCA) cathode material can be obtained via co-precipitation of salt solution. In the co-precipitation method, ammonia is commonly used as chelating agent to control the crystal growth and reaction kinetics. However, continuous use of ammonia as chelating agent during NCA synthesis rises health and environmental issue due to toxic properties of such chemical. Hence, a suitable and green chelating agent in preparing NCA cathode material is needed. EDTA-2Na (di-sodium Ethylene Diamine Tetra-acetic Acid) is an alternative environmental friendly chelating agent. The use of inexpensive carbonate salt as precipitant is also promising to be adapted in such process. Therefore this study aims to produce NCA using batch carbonate co-precipitation with EDTA-2Na as its sole chelating agent. Structural analysis was deeply investigated. The morphology and surface chemistry of as prepared NCA is characterized using SEM, FTIR, and XRF. The electrochemical test is carried out in an 18650 cylindrical battery. Meso Carbon Micro Beads (MCMB) was used as the counter anode. The specific capacity of its sample was tested at a voltage of 2.7 to 4.25 V and the current of 1/10 C. The results show the as prepared NCA has a specific initial discharge capacity of 63.2 mAh/gram.