Lithium-ion batteries have revolutionized portable electronics and play an increasingly important role in electric vehicles. However, the cathode still represents one of the greatest barriers to futherther development. Thus, in order to meet the required demands in terms of energy density, safety and autonomy, new materials are needed. On the other hand, the development of new promising cathode materials must go hand-in-hand with the development of new, more efficient, and more environmentally friendly synthesis routes.

Here, the fabrication of layered lithium-rich transition metal oxides is perfomed using a novel synthesis route, which involves the use of metal acetates and oleic-acid to form an emulsion. This synthesis route has been previously used for the fabrication of sodium-ion layer cathodes [1] but has not been expanded to the synthesis of any member of the lithium-ion family.

In this work, we have used the aforementioned technique to successfully synthesise Li1.2Ni0.2Mn0.6O2, which is considered one of the cathodes with the highest potential to replace the current Li-ion technology. X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy have been used to characterise the structure of the fabricated particles, showing that their expected monoclinic structure has been achieved, with particle size and distribution in very good agreement with other works previously published in the literature using other, more conventional techniques [2]. More importantly, the fact that this route uses organic precursors, and the reaction side-products are non-contaminant makes it environmentally friendly. It has also been proved to be faster and more efficient than the dry-milling or sol-gel methods, and has a huge potential to be upscaled.



References
[1] F. J. García, R. Klee, P. Lavela, M. R. D. Bomio, J. L. Tirado. ChemElectroChem,2020, 7, 3528  
[2] K. M. Shaju, P. G. Bruce, Advanced Materials, 2006, 18, 2330