Lithium-Nickel-Manganese-Cobalt Oxides

Structural formula
No drawing available
General
Surname	Lithium-Nickel-Manganese-Cobalt Oxides
other names	Lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide NMC, NCM, "LiNiMnCoO2"
Molecular formula	Li a Ni x Mn y Co z O 2 , mostly LiNi 1− y - z Mn y Co z O 2 , z. B. LiNi 0.33 Mn 0.33 Co 0.33 O 2 or LiNi 0.6 Mn 0.2 Co 0.2 O 2 (= NMC622)
Brief description	ceramic, black powder (commercial form)
External identifiers / databases
CAS number 346417-97-8 Wikidata Q22668727
properties
Molar mass	96.46 g mol −1 (NMC333) 96.95 g mol −1 (NMC532) 96.93 g mol −1 (NMC622) 97.28 g mol −1 (NMC811)
Physical state	firmly
Melting point	> 1000 ° C
safety instructions
GHS labeling of hazardous substances Caution H and P phrases H: 317-351 P: 201-280-302 + 352-308 + 313
As far as possible and customary, SI units are used. Unless otherwise noted, the data given apply to standard conditions .

Lithium-nickel-manganese-cobalt oxides , abbreviated as Li-NMC, LNMC, NMC or NCM, are mixed oxides of lithium , nickel , manganese and cobalt . They have the general formula Li _a Ni _x Mn _y Co _z O ₂ . The most important representatives have a composition with x + y + z = 1. These are closely related to lithium cobalt (III) oxide (LiCoO ₂ ) and, like this, have a layer structure . Today they are among the most important storage materials for lithium ions in lithium ion batteries , see NMC accumulator . They are used there on the positive side, which forms the cathode during discharge . An accumulator that uses NMC is accordingly called an NMC accumulator ; See also the sections on the properties of NMC cells and accumulators and on the use of NMC accumulators .

Short names of the variants

Abbreviations that indicate the ratio of nickel, manganese and cobalt are common for important NMC variants. For example, LiNi _0.333 Mn _0.333 Co _0.333 O _{2 is} referred to as NMC111 or NMC333 for short, LiNi _0.5 Mn _0.3 Co _0.2 O ₂ as NMC532 (or NCM523), LiNi _0.6 Mn _0.2 Co _0.2 O ₂ as NMC622 and LiNi _0.8 Mn _0.1 Co _0.1 O ₂ as NMC811.

The oxides Li _a Ni _x Mn _y Co _z O ₂ with a > 1 are called lithium-rich .

properties

The most important, because useful, property of the NMC-type oxides is that these mixed lithium oxides can give up and take up lithium ions and one electron . When charging an NMC battery, an external voltage forces the release of electrons and thus also of Li ⁺ . So the reaction runs

${\displaystyle {\ce {Li_{a}Ni_{x}Mn_{y}Co_{1-x-y}O2 ->[Laden] Li_{a-k}Ni_{x}Mn_{y}Co_{1-x-y}O2 + k Li+ + ke-}}}$

the NMC is oxidized . When discharging, the reaction proceeds in the opposite direction and at the same time emits electrical energy. The variable a in the reaction equation often has the value one when the cells are assembled. The variable k has a value well below a and thus below one, i.e. that is, not all of the lithium can be extracted from the oxide at commonly used voltages. The charging voltage of NMC batteries is usually limited to 4.2 V to prevent the electrolyte from decomposing. NMC itself can possibly also work at higher voltages, e.g. B. for a variant a maximum charging voltage of 4.8 V is specified, whereby a capacity of 210 mAh / g can be achieved.

Advantages and disadvantages of NMC

NMC is cheaper than the previously often used lithium cobalt (III) oxide LiCoO ₂ , since cobalt and cobalt oxides are relatively expensive. Compared to the relatively environmentally friendly lithium iron phosphate , NCM, like many nickel and cobalt compounds, is comparatively dangerous and it can presumably cause cancer if it gets into the body.

Manufacturer, production locations and quantities

The important manufacturers of NMC include BASF and Umicore . Umicore manufactures NMC in Jiangmen, China, and in South Korea and has agreed with Samsung to supply 80,000 tons of NMC annually from 2020. Umicore wants to manufacture the cathode material for the European market in the Polish city of Nysa (German: Neisse), and LG Chem will also process lithium-ion cells in Poland. BASF produces NCM at its facility in Elyria , Ohio .

Historical

One of the pioneers in the discovery and research of NMC is Tsutomu Ohzuku, who works at Osaka City University OCU and who first reported in a scientific publication in 2001 about the compound now known as NMC111. Michael M. Thackeray , who works at the Argonne National Laboratory ANL, is one of the discoverers of the lithium-rich NMC variants . The ANL holds patents which it has licensed to BASF, among others.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b c} data sheet lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide; powder, <0.5 μm particle size,> 98% from Sigma-Aldrich , accessed on February 23, 2020 ( PDF ).
2. ↑ ^{a b} data sheet lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide; electrode sheet from Sigma-Aldrich , accessed on February 29, 2020 ( PDF ).
3. ↑ Umicore opens cathode plant. In: materialstoday.com. January 3, 2018, accessed March 8, 2020 .  
4. ^ ^{A b} Marjolein Scheers: Umicore announces strategic supply agreement with Samsung SDI for NMC cathode materials. In: umicore.com. October 24, 2019, accessed March 8, 2020 .  
5. ↑ Chris Randall: Umicore sets up cathode factory in Poland. In: electrive.com. electrive.com, Rabbit Publishing GmbH, June 2, 2018, accessed March 8, 2020 (American English).  
6. ↑ Mark Kane: Umicore To Supply NMC Cathode Materials For LG Chem Batteries. In: insideevs.com. September 28, 2019, accessed March 8, 2020 .  
7. ↑ ^{a b} Michael Fetcenko: BASF-ANL Collaboration on NCM Cathode Materials. In: www.energy.gov. US Department of Energy, November 4, 2014, accessed March 14, 2020 .  
8. ↑ Tsutomu Ohzuku, Yoshinari Makimura: Layered Lithium Insertion Material of LiCo _1/3 Ni _1/3 Mn _1/3 O ₂ for Lithium-Ion Batteries . In: Chemistry Letters . tape 30 , no. 7 , July 2001, ISSN  0366-7022 , p. 642–643 , doi : 10.1246 / cl.2001.642 ( csj.jp - As of March 2020, this work was cited over 1000 times according to Scopus.).
9. ↑ ^{a b} Joseph E. Harmon: Argonne's debt to 2019 Nobel Prize for lithium-ion battery | Argonne National Laboratory. In: Argonne National Laboratory Feature Story. Argonne National Laboratory, US Department of Energy Office of Science, December 9, 2019, accessed March 14, 2020 .