Li-ion batteries as a support for future transportation have the advantages of high storage capacity, a long life cycle, and the fact that they are less dangerous than current battery materials. Li-ion battery components, especially the cathode, are the intercalation places for lithium, which plays an important role in battery performance. This study aims to obtain the LiNixMnyCozO2 (NMC) cathode material using a simple flash coprecipitation method. As precipitation agents and pH regulators, oxalic acid and ammonia are widely available and inexpensive. The composition of the NMC mole ratio was varied, with values of 333, 424, 442, 523, 532, 622, and 811. As a comprehensive study of NMC, lithium transition-metal oxide (LMO, LCO, and LNO) is also provided. The crystal structure, functional groups, morphology, elemental composition and material behavior of the particles were all investigated during the heating process. The galvanostatic charge–discharge analysis was tested with cylindrical cells and using mesocarbon microbeads/graphite as the anode. Cells were tested at 2.7–4.25 V at 0.5 C. Based on the analysis results, NMC with a mole ratio of 622 showed the best characteristicd and electrochemical performance. After 100 cycles, the discharged capacity reaches 153.60 mAh/g with 70.9% capacity retention.

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Zinc oxide (ZnO) is one of the most promising materials applied in Li-ion batteries. In this research, ZnO was synthesized by the thermal decomposition of zinc oxalate dihydrate. This precursor was obtained from the precipitation process of zinc sulfate with oxalic acid. In-depth studies were carried out on the effect of various heating temperatures of zinc oxalate dihydrate precursors on ZnO synthesis. The as-prepared materials were characterized by XRD, SEM, and FTIR. Based on the XRD analysis, the presence of the ZnO-wurtzite phase can be confirmed in samples heated at temperatures above 400 °C. Meanwhile, SEM-EDX results showed that the ZnO particles have a micron size. Cells with ZnO samples as anodes have low columbic efficiency. In contrast, cells with ZnO/Graphite composite anodes have a relatively large capacity compared to pure graphite anodes. Overall, based on the consideration of the characterization results and electrochemical performance, the optimal sintering temperature to obtain ZnO is 600 °C with a cell discharge capacity of ZnO anode and in the form of graphite composites is 356 mAh/g and 450 mAh/g, respectively. This suggests that ZnO can be used as an anode material and an additive component to improve commercial graphite anodes’ electrochemical performance.

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The high throughput and rapid flame-assisted spray pyrolysis method has been adapted to synthesize cathode materials LiNi0.apCo0.15Al0.035O2 (NCA). This method is considered low cost and simple. By varying the precursor solution concentration and sintering temperature, the optimal condition was established at temperature sintering of 800 °C and precursor solution concentration of 1 M. X-ray diffraction patterns showed the as-prepared NCA particles exhibit a pure well-ordered hexagonal layer structure with high crystallinity. Polyhedral shaped micro-sized particles are confirmed by SEM images. Galvanostic charge–discharge tests were conducted using cylindrical full-cell utilizing artificial graphite as the anode. The highest specific initial discharge capacity measured between 2.7 and 4.3 V is 155 mAh g−1 with capacity retention of 92% after cycled at 0.2 C for 50 cycles. Thus, this method is considered as a satisfying approach for NCA mass production.

Li-ion secondary battery is highly recommended as a power source to highly advanced battery electric vehicles. Among various types, the lithium nickel cobalt aluminum oxide (NCA) battery is considered suitable for high energy and power application. In this study, the NCA cathode material LiNi0.89Co0.08Al0.03O2 was produced via the oxalate co-precipitation technique to reduce the overall production cost and process complexity. Oxalic acid and a small amount of sodium hydroxide were used as the precipitant and pH regulator, respectively. Homogenous and loose metal oxalate precipitate formation was confirmed by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy, and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy analysis. XRD patterns of the as-obtained micron-sized NCA showed a well-layered hexagonal structure. The electrochemical properties of the cathode in the full cell were thoroughly examined. The specific discharge capacity of the as-obtained NCA in NCA/LiPF6/graphite at a current rate of 20 mA/g was 142 mAh/g. The as-prepared NCA sample had capacity retention of 80% after being charged and discharged at 0.1 A/g for 101 cycles. Scaling up of NCA production process to 2 kg per batch was conducted and evaluation of NCA product quality was performed by material characterization. Based on the overall results and considering the overall process, such an approach is expected to be developed and improved for future large-scale production purposes.

LiFePO4/C cathode material is largely used in Li-ion batteries due to its low toxicity, nonhazardous and high stability features. A facile and simple approach is proposed in LiFePO4/C production using low-cost materials. The effect of carbon addition during the formation of LiFePO4/C was investigated. Based on the XRD and FTIR analyses, olivine-structured LiFePO4/C cathode material was successfully obtained via methanol-based rheological method. The SEM result showed that the material has micron-sized polyhedral shape. The electrochemical performance tests were conducted in an 18,650-type cylindrical battery. The charge–discharge performances were tested at a voltage range of 2.2–3.65 V using charge and discharge rate of 1C. Based on the charge–discharge test, LiFePO4 with 30% carbon addition has the highest specific capacity of 121 mA h/g with excellent cycle and rate performance as a result of successful carbon compositing in LiFePO4 material. This approach is promising to be adapted for mass production of LiFePO4/C.

Spent nickel catalyst is the catalyst residue that has lost its catalytic function. Spent nickel catalyst contains Ni metal which is already high and environmentally hazardous. This problem can be solved by recovering the spent nickel catalyst as an anode and combined with lithium nickel cobalt oxide (NCA) as a cathode for lithium ion batteries. A study about it has never been conducted. The method used to treat the spent catalyst was acid leaching using 1 M citric acid and 4 M hydrochloric acid at 70-80°C for 2 hours, then continued with precipitation and thermal decomposition. Another method employed was direct sintering at 800°C for 12 hours. Material characterisation was carried out by X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry (AAS), Fourier Transform Infra-Red (FTIR), and X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF), while electrochemical performance was carried out by NEWARE Battery Analyzer and BTS software. The results of this study indicate that Ni can be recovered with hydrochloric acid as much as 15.387 gr higher than citric acid as much as 11.831 gr from 20 gr sample. The XRD pattern also indicates the presence of crystals NiO I and NiO II in the leached and sintered material. The results of acid leaching in the form of NiO I was perfectly formed, but NiO still has a little impurity. Electrochemical performance was tested with a cylindrical battery resulting in a discharge capacity of 37.210 mAh g−1.