The primary application of battery-grade lithium hydroxide is in the synthesis and manufacturing of cathode materials for lithium-ion batteries. In particular, lithium hydroxide is the reagent of choice for making nickel-rich cathodes like nickel-manganese-cobalt oxide (NMC) and nickel-cobalt-aluminum oxide (NCA)
[1][2]. For these materials, the nickel-rich precursors must be fired in oxygen at relatively low temperatures (~500 °C) in order to promote higher oxidation states of nickel while suppressing cation mixing. Lithium hydroxide, which melts at 462 °C, is preferred because it melts at these temperatures, yielding more complete reactions and superior crystallinity, than reactions using lithium carbonate. Lithium carbonate, which melts at 723 °C, is still a solid at these temperatures.
Our battery grade lithium hydroxide monohydrate is well-suited for synthesis of nickel-rich metal oxides, like lithium nickel-manganese-aluminum oxide (NMA)
[3] and complex quaternary transition metal oxides like Zr-doped or Ti-doped nickel-manganese oxide
[4].
Our lithium hydroxide monohydrate can also be used to synthesize lithium iron phosphates like LiFePO
4[5] or lithium manganese oxides like Li
2Mn
2O
4.
[6]