Copper Plating of LiCoO2 Particles for Water Friendly Electrodes in Li-Ion Batteries

Metal oxide-based coatings have been applied on LiCoO2 particles in order to allow the use of water as solvent in the manufacturing process of the cathodes for Li-ion batteries. The coating has been obtained by oxidation of a metallic layer deposited on the particles with electroless deposition. The treatment allowed the deposition of a copper (II) oxide layer on the particles as shown by XPS analysis. SEM investigation demonstrates that particles morphology is unchanged after the plating process. The treatment does not The electrodes manufactured with the coated powders of active material show an increased resistance to chemical decomposition in aqueous environment, as shown by electrochemical performances assessment, evaluated by means of galvanostatic cycling in coin cells. Capacity vs. cycles charts show that the stability of the cycling capacity is improved with respect to a cathode made of uncoated LiCoO2 particles and PVDF latex as binder.