Effect of the aluminium doping on the microstructure and morphology of LiNi0.5Co0.5O2 oxides

LiCo1−xNixO2 materials having the layeredα-NaFeO2-type structure are promising positive electrodes for advanced lithium-ion batteries. Their electrochemical performance is very much conditioned by the integrity of the lamellar structure that needs to be stable enough to stand many charge/discharge cycles. LiNi0.5−xAlxCo0.5O2 (0≤x≤0.3) samples have been prepared by a low-temperature route, the sol-gel method assisted by succinic acid as chelating agent. We study in detail their crystallographic structure by XRD, their chemical composition by ICP and their morphology by SEM. Their local cationic environment is also carried out by means of FTIR spectroscopy.