Abstract
$LiCoO_2$ powder was synthesized in an aqueous solution by a sol-gel method and used as a cathode active material for a lithium ion rechargeable battery. The layered $LiCoO_2$ powders were prepared by igniting in air for 12 hrs at 600 ℃ $(600-LiCoO_2)$ and 850 ℃ $(850-LiCoO_2)$. The structure of the $LiCoO_2$ powder was assigned to the space group R bar 3 m (lattice parameters a=2.814 Å and c=14.04Å). The SEM pictures of $600-LiCoO_2$ revealed homogeneous and fine particles of about 1 μm in diameter. Cyclic voltammograms (CVs) of $600-LiCoO_2$ electrode displayed a set of redox peaks at 3.80/4.05 V due to the intercalation/deintercalation of the lithium ions into/out of the $LiCoO_2$ structure. CVs for the $850-LiCoO_2$ electrode had a major set of redox peaks at 3.88/4.13 V, and two small set of redox peaks at 4.18/4.42 V and 4.05/4.25 V due to phase transitions. The initial charge-discharge capacity was 156-132 mAh/g for the $600-LiCoO_2$ electrode and 158-131 mAh/g for the $850-LiCoO_2$ electrode at the current density of 0.2 mA/cm2. The cycleability of the cell consisting of the $600-LiCoO_2$ electrode was better than that of the $850-LiCoO_2$. The diffusion coefficient of the $Li^+$ ion in the $600-LiCoO_2$ electrode was calculated as $4.6{\times}10^{-8}\; cm^2/sec$.