No. 329: A Low cost cathode for a lithium-ion secondary battery free from cobalt and nickel (October 17, 2011)

Tanaka Chemical successfully reduced the production cost of a cathode for a lithium-ion secondary battery about 30% in alliance with National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST). They did not use cobalt and nickel. In addition to the cost reduction, they established a new production method that allows for the reduction firing of raw materials at such a low temperature of 400 degrees centigrade. The newly developed cathode achieved the initial charge-discharge efficiency of 80% as existing cathodes on the market maintain. Tanaka Chemical is preparing for the sample shipment toward in 2013.

They used ion substitution lithium manganese oxide (FM system) and titanium substitution lithium manganese oxide (FMT system) for the new cathode. They burned the raw materials by the wet-chemical production method, and processed them using the reduction firing method that makes organic substances coexist with powder after burning at as low as 400 degrees centigrade, not in the usual temperature zone of 600-700 degrees centigrade. The material cost per the density of discharge energy (per gram) is 9.35 yen for the FM system and 10.01 yen for the FMT system, both of which are much lower than 13.76 yen of the existing materials. The fierce competition to reduce production cost of a lithium-ion secondary battery is in progress.