* INTRODUCTIONComplex cobalt oxides M CoO 2 containing alkali elements possess unusual physical properties (superconductivity, semiconductor-metal phase transitions, thermoelectricity). In this crystal family, the LiCoO 2 compound used as a cathode material in chemical current sources is of special interest [1-3]. The LiCoO 2 compound undergoes several structural transformations, which despite numerous investigations [4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14] cannot be interpreted within a unified approach. The complexity of the problem lies in the fact that the composition and structure of the phases formed change depending on the conditions and technique of synthesis and regimes of the electrochemical operation.According to the data available in the literature, there are three modifications of the lithium cobaltite: the low-temperature modification, which is formed at a temperature of 400 ° C and has a spinel-like structure (the space group Fd 3 m ); the high-temperature modification, which is formed at a temperature of 800 ° C and has a layered structure of the α -NaFeO 2 type (the space group ); and the unstable phase with a sodium chloride structure. It is interesting that the symmetry (cubic) of the low-temperature modification is higher than the symmetry (rhombohedral) of the high-temperature modification. Note that the opposite situation is observed for the majority of crystals for which a more symmetric modification occurs at higher temperatures.
R3mThe low-temperature modification does not play a significant role in lithium current sources and is formed upon intercalation and deintercalation of lithium. The electrochemical activity of the high-temperature modification of the LiCoO 2 compound is considerably higher than that of the low-temperature modification. The electrochemical activity of cathode materials depends substantially on the method and conditions of synthesis and structural features of phases, primarily, on the system of channels providing the diffusion of lithium ions in the cathode material.Despite numerous physicochemical investigations, a large number of questions regarding the structure of the LiCoO 2 modifications remain open. As follows from the neutron diffraction data, the structure of the low-temperature modification of the LiCoO 2 compound is intermediate between the structures of the layered phase LiCoO 2 and lithium spinel Li 2 [Co 2 ]O 4 [1,2]. According to the X-ray diffraction and electron microscopic data, both modifications (the spinel-like and layered forms) are contained in the low-temperature modification of the LiCoO 2 compound, but the content of the spinel-like form is higher. The cation distribution in the LiCoO 2 low-temperature modification can be represented by the formula, and the structure of this modification is intermediate between perfect layered ( x = 1) and spinellike ( x = 0) structures. In the more recent work, ShaoHorn et al. [2] noted that the layered structure is more stable and the spinel-like modification transforms slowly into the layered modification:...