Methods of Producing Disordered Rocksalt Cathode Materials

Li-rich cation-disordered rocksalts (DRX) have attracted attention as a promising new class of Co-free Li-ion battery cathodes. Current synthesis and optimization routes of DRX materials often require the use of high-energy ball-milling, which creates inhomogeneous distributions and non-ideal particle morphologies. A new technique to synthesize DRX materials was developed at Materials Engineering Research Facility (MERF) by forming a mixed transition metal hydroxide precursor material through aqueous co-precipitation before calcining the precursor with a Li-source. Such a method enables a controllable and scalable route to synthesize DRX materials.