Substitution
of aluminum in nickel-rich layered oxides plays a vital role in structural
and thermal stability. Hence comprehension of aluminum distribution
in nickel-rich layered oxides such as LiNi0.8Co0.15Al0.05O2 (LNCA) is crucial. However, investigation
of aluminum distribution in LNCA is extremely challenging, and sophisticated
techniques such as 27Al and 7Li MAS NMR, individual
atom probe tomography, X-ray and neutron diffraction, and SQUID magnetic
susceptibility measurements are recently employed. We demonstrate
the use of a combination of versatile techniques such as X-ray diffraction,
energy dispersive X-ray analysis mapping, and vacuum Fourier transform
infrared spectroscopy to identify the distribution of aluminum and
anion substitution at the oxygen site in LNCA synthesized by the coprecipitation-assisted
solid-state reaction. The influence of metal salts used for the coprecipitation
of α/β interstratified Ni1–x–y
Co
x
Al
y
(OH)2 (x = 0.15, y = 0/0.05) on anion substitution at the oxygen site in
LNCA was investigated. While no anion substitution is observed in
LNCA synthesized using nitrate metal salts, sulfur is substituted
at the oxygen site when sulfate metal precursors are used. The distribution
of Al in LNCA is uniform when Al(OH)3, NiCo(OH)2 are used as Al and Ni, Co precursors, respectively, during the solid-state
reaction with LiOH. Segregation of Al is observed in LNCA when α/β
interstratified Ni0.8Co0.15Al0.05(OH)2 is used as Ni, Co, and Al precursor. Electrochemical
properties of LNCA are strongly influenced by Al distribution and
sulfur substitution. While uniform Al distribution reduces the voltage
fading due to lower Ni2+ concentration in Li+ site, sulfur substitution increases the cyclic stability.
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