View source for Chemistry:Lithium nickel cobalt aluminium oxides

{{more science citations needed|date=November 2021}}
The '''lithium nickel cobalt aluminium oxides ('''abbreviated as '''Li-NCA, LNCA, or NCA)''' are a group of mixed metal oxides. Some of them are important due to their application in [[Engineering:Lithium-ion battery|lithium ion batteries]]. NCAs are used as active material in the positive electrode (which is the [[Physics:Cathode|cathode]] when the battery is discharged). NCAs are composed of the cations of the [[Chemistry:Chemical element|chemical element]]s [[Chemistry:Lithium|lithium]], [[Chemistry:Nickel|nickel]], [[Chemistry:Cobalt|cobalt]] and [[Chemistry:Aluminium|aluminium]]. The compounds of this class have a general formula LiNi<sub>''x''</sub>Co<sub>''y''</sub>Al<sub>''z''</sub>O<sub>2</sub> with ''x''&nbsp;+&nbsp;''y''&nbsp;+&nbsp;''z''&nbsp;=&nbsp;1. In case of the NCA comprising  batteries currently available on the market, which are also used in [[Engineering:Electric car|electric car]]s and electric appliances, ''x''&nbsp;≈&nbsp;0,8, and the voltage of those batteries is between 3.6 V and 4.0 V, at a nominal voltage of 3.6 V or 3.7 V. A version of the oxides currently in use in 2019 is LiNi<sub>0,84</sub>Co<sub>0,12</sub>Al<sub>0,04</sub>O<sub>2</sub>.


== Properties of NCA ==
The usable charge storage capacity of NCA is about 180 to 200 mAh/g.<ref name="Doeff2013" /> This is well below the theoretical values; for LiNi<sub>0,8</sub>Co<sub>0,15</sub>Al<sub>0,05</sub>O<sub>2</sub> this is 279 mAh/g.<ref name="Purwanto2018" /> However, the capacity of NCA is significantly higher than that of alternative materials such as [[Chemistry:Lithium cobalt oxide|lithium cobalt oxide]] LiCoO<sub>2</sub> with 148 mAh/g, [[Chemistry:Lithium iron phosphate|lithium iron phosphate]] LiFePO<sub>4</sub> with 165 mAh/g and NMC 333 LiNi<sub>0,33</sub>Mn<sub>0,33</sub>Co<sub>0,33</sub>O<sub>2</sub> with 170 mAh/g.<ref name="Purwanto2018" /> Like LiCoO<sub>2</sub> and NMC, NCA belongs to the cathode materials with layer structure.<ref name="Doeff2013" /> Due to the high voltage, NCA enables batteries with high energy density. Another advantage of NCA is its excellent fast charging capability.<ref name="Doeff2013" /> Disadvantages are the high costs and the limited resources of cobalt and nickel.<ref name="Doeff2013" />

The two materials NCA and NMC have related structures, quite similar electrochemical behaviour and show similar performance, in particular relatively high energy densities and relatively high performance. Noteworthy, Ni is cycled during the battery operation between oxidation states +2 and +3.5, Co- between +2 and +3, and Mn and Al remain electrochemically inactive.<ref>A reflection on lithium-ion battery cathode chemistry. 2020. Nature Communications. 11/1, 9. A. Manthiram. doi: 10.1038/s41467-020-15355-0.</ref>

It is estimated that the NCA battery pack [[Engineering:Tesla Model 3|Tesla Model 3]] contains between 4.5 and 9.5&nbsp;kg of cobalt and 11.6&nbsp;kg of lithium.<ref name="Leon2018" />

[[File:Kristallstruktur Cadmiumiodid.png|250px|Kristallstruktur von Nickel(IV)-oxid]]

Lithium nickel oxide LiNiO<sub>2</sub>, which is closely related to NCA, or nickel oxide NiO<sub>2</sub> itself, cannot yet be used as a battery material because it is mechanically unstable, shows a rapid loss of capacity and has safety issues.<ref name="Bianchini2019" />

== Nickel-rich NCA: advantages and limitations ==
NCAs LiNi<sub>''x''</sub>Co<sub>''y''</sub>Al<sub>''z''</sub>O<sub>2</sub> with x ≥ 0.8 are called nickel rich;<ref name="Zhang" /> those compounds are the most important variants of the substance class. The nickel-rich variants are also low in cobalt and therefore have a cost advantage, as [[Chemistry:Cobalt|cobalt]] is several times more expensive than [[Chemistry:Nickel|nickel]]. Furthermore, as the nickel content increases, so does the voltage and  the mAh/g charge that can be stored in the battery. This is because Co is cycled in a battery between oxidation states +3 and +3.5 (i.e. with 0.5 [[Physics:Electron|electron]]/cobalt atom), while nickel can go between +3 and +4 (i.e. 1 [[Physics:Electron|electron]]/nickel atom). Thus, increasing the molar fraction of nickel in the posode increases both the mAh/g number and the cell voltage. However, as the nickel content increases, the risk of thermal breakdown and premature aging of the battery also increases. When a typical NCA battery is heated to 180&nbsp;°C, it will [[Astronomy:Thermal runaway|thermally run away]].<ref name="Liu2018" /> If the battery was previously overcharged, thermal run away can occur even at 65&nbsp;°C.<ref name="Liu2018" /> The aluminium ions in NCA increase stability and safety, but they reduce capacity because they do not participate in oxidation and reduction themselves.

== Modifications of the material ==
To make NCA more resistant, in particular for batteries that need to operate at temperatures above 50&nbsp;°C, the NCA active material is usually coated. The coatings demonstrated in research may comprise fluorides such as [[Chemistry:Aluminium fluoride|aluminium fluoride]] AlF<sub>3</sub>, crystalline oxides (e.g. CoO<sub>2</sub>, [[Chemistry:Titanium dioxide|TiO<sub>2</sub>]], NMC) or glassy oxides ([[Chemistry:Silicon dioxide|silicon dioxide]] SiO<sub>2</sub>) or phosphates such as [[Chemistry:Iron(III) phosphate|FePO<sub>4</sub>]].<ref name="Purwanto2018" />

== NCA batteries: Manufacturers and use ==

The main producers of NCA and their market shares in 2015 were Sumitomo Metal Mining with 58%, Toda Kogyo (BASF) with 16%, Nihon Kagaku Sangyo with 13% and Ecopro with 5%.<ref name="Pillot2017" /> Sumitomo supplies Tesla and Panasonic and was able to produce 850 tons of NCA per month in 2014.<ref name="Obayashi" /> In 2016, Sumitomo increased its monthly production capacity to 2550 tons,<ref name="Ayre2016" /> and in 2018 to 4550 tons.<ref name="Obayashi" /> In China, in Tongren County in Qinghai Province, a plant has been under construction since 2019, which will initially produce 1500 tons of NCA per month.<ref name="SMM2019" />

As of 2018, the most important manufacturer of NCA batteries was reportedly [[Company:Panasonic|Panasonic]], or Panasonic's cooperation partner [[Company:Tesla, Inc.|Tesla]],<ref name="Purwanto2018" /> as Tesla uses NCA as active material in the traction batteries of its car models.<ref name="Ayre2017" /><ref name="Lambert2017" /> In Tesla Model 3<ref name="Bianchini2019" /> and Tesla Model X, LiNi<sub>0,84</sub>Co<sub>0,12</sub>Al<sub>0,04</sub>O<sub>2</sub> is used.<ref name="Nam2019" /> With a few exceptions, current electric cars as of 2019 use either NCA or alternatively [[Chemistry:Lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxides|lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxides]] (NMC).<ref name="Bianchini2019" /> In addition to use in electric cars, NCA is also used in batteries for electronic devices, mainly by [[Company:Panasonic|Panasonic]], [[Company:Sony|Sony]] and [[Company:Samsung|Samsung]].<ref name="Pillot2017" /> Some [[Physics:Vacuum cleaner|cordless vacuum cleaners]] are also equipped with NCA batteries.<ref name="powertoollab" />{{better source needed|date=November 2021}}

== References ==
<references>
<ref name="Doeff2013">
{{citation |author=Marca M. Doeff |editor=Ralph J. Brodd |periodical=Batteries for Sustainability |title=Battery Cathodes: Selected Entries from the Encyclopedia of Sustainability Science and Technology |publisher=Springer |publication-place=New York, NY |page=5–49 |isbn=978-1-4614-5790-9 |date=2013 |doi=10.1007/978-1-4614-5791-6_2}}
</ref>

<ref name="Purwanto2018">
{{citation |author=Agus Purwanto |author2=Cornelius Satria Yudha |author3=U Ubaidillah |author4=Hendri Widiyandari |author5=Takashi Ogi |periodical=Materials Research Express |title=NCA cathode material: synthesis methods and performance enhancement efforts |volume=5 |issue=12 |publisher=IOP Publishing |page=122001 |issn=2053-1591 |date=2018-09-26 |doi=10.1088/2053-1591/aae167|bibcode=2018MRE.....5l2001P |s2cid=106388037 }}
</ref>

<ref name="Ayre2017">
{{cite web |title=Tesla Batteries 101 — Production Capacity, Uses, Chemistry, & Future Plans |periodical=CleanTechnica |url=https://cleantechnica.com/2017/12/02/tesla-batteries-101-production-capacity-uses-chemistry-future-plans/ |last=James Ayre |date=2017-12-02 |language=en-US}}
</ref>

<ref name="Lambert2017">
{{cite web |title=Tesla battery researcher unveils new chemistry to increase lifecycle at high voltage |periodical=Electrek |publisher=Electrek, 9to5 network |url=https://electrek.co/2017/05/04/tesla-battery-researcher-chemistry-lifcycle/ |author=Fred Lambert |date=2017-05-04 |language=en-US}}
</ref>

<ref name="Nam2019">
{{citation |author=Gyeong Won Nam |author2=Nam-Yung Park |author3=Kang-Joon Park |author4=Jihui Yang |author5=Jun Liu |periodical=ACS Energy Letters |title=Capacity Fading of Ni-Rich NCA Cathodes: Effect of Microcracking Extent |volume=4 |issue=12 |pages=2995–3001 |issn=2380-8195 |date=2019-12-13 |doi=10.1021/acsenergylett.9b02302 |s2cid=210234684 |url=https://pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10.1021/acsenergylett.9b02302 |access-date=2021-11-26 |url-access=subscription}}
</ref>

<ref name="Bianchini2019">
{{citation |author=Matteo Bianchini |author2=Maria Roca-Ayats |author3=Pascal Hartmann |author4=Torsten Brezesinski |author5=Jürgen Janek |periodical=Angewandte Chemie International Edition |title=There and Back Again-The Journey of LiNiO<sub>2</sub> as a Cathode Active Material |volume=58 |issue=31 |publisher=Wiley-VCH |pages=10434–10458 |date=2019-07-29 |url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/anie.201812472 |access-date=2021-11-26 |url-access=subscription |doi=10.1002/anie.201812472|pmid=30537189 |s2cid=54479125 }}
</ref>

<ref name="Pillot2017">
{{cite web |title=Lithium ion battery raw material Supply & demand 2016–2025 |website=avicenne.com |publisher=Avicenne |url=http://www.avicenne.com/pdf/Lithium-Ion%20Battery%20Raw%20Material%20Supply%20and%20Demand%202016-2025%20C.%20Pillot%20-%20M.%20Sanders%20Presentation%20at%20AABC-US%20San%20Francisco%20June%202017.pdf |last=Christophe Pillot |date=2017-01-30 |language=en}}
</ref>

<ref name="Ayre2016">
{{cite web |title=Sumitomo Metal Mining Boosting NCA (Used In Lithium-Ion Cathodes) Production By 38 %, In Anticipation Of Tesla Model 3 Launch |website=evobsession.com |url=https://evobsession.com/sumitomo-metal-thumbng-boosting-nca-used-in-lithium-ion-cathodes-production-by-38-in-anticipation-of-tesla-model-3-launch/ |last=James Ayre |date=2016-02-26 |language=en}}
</ref>

<ref name="powertoollab">
</ref>

<ref name="Obayashi">
{{cite web |title=Japan's Sumitomo to focus on battery material supply to Panasonic, Toyota |periodical=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-sumitomo-mtl-min-strategy-idUSKCN1LT1SN |last=Yuka Obayashi, Ritsuko Shimizu |date=2018-09-13}}
</ref>

<ref name="SMM2019">
{{cite web |title=Construction of 50,000 mt NCA cathode material project began in Qinghai |periodical=SMM News – News.metal.com > News > Industry News |publisher=Shanghai Metals Market SMM, SMM Information & Technology Co |url=https://news.metal.com/newscontent/100992826/Construction-of-50,000-mt-NCA-cathode-material-project-began-in-Qinghai/ |last=Frank Liu |date=2019-11-13 |language=en}}
</ref>

<ref name="Leon2018">{{cite web|title=From Mine to Market: Energy Metals & Electric Vehicle Industrialization|periodical=Energy.umich.edu|publisher=University of Michigan Energy Institute|url=https://energy.umich.edu/te3/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/11/Evan-Leon.pdf|url-status=dead|access-date=|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190616010414/https://energy.umich.edu/te3/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/11/Evan-Leon.pdf|archive-date=2019-06-16|last=Evan Leon|date=2018-10-26|language=en|pages=|quote=}}</ref>

<ref name="Zhang">
{{citation |author=Sheng S. Zhang|periodical=Energy Storage Materials|title=Problems and their origins of Ni-rich layered oxide cathode materials|volume=24|at=pp.&nbsp;247–254|date=January 2020 | url = https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2405829719309262 | access-date=2021-11-26 | url-access=subscription}}
</ref>

<ref name="Liu2018">
{{cite conference |author=Xuan Liu |author2=Kang Li |author3=Xiang Li |title=The Electrochemical Performance and Applications of Several Popular Lithium-ion Batteries for Electric Vehicles - A Review|date= 2018|conference= ICSEE 2018, IMIOT 2018 |conference-url= https://link.springer.com/conference/icsee |editor=K. Li |editor2=J. Zhang |editor3=M. Chen |editor4=Z. Yang |editor5=Q. Niu |series = Communications in Computer and Information Science |volume=925 |page= |book-title=Advances in Green Energy Systems and Smart Grid |publisher=Springer, Singapore |url= https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007%2F978-981-13-2381-2_19 |isbn=9789811323805 |doi=10.1007/978-981-13-2381-2_19 |access-date=2021-11-26 |pages=201–213}} [http://eprints.whiterose.ac.uk/134354/1/The%20Electrochemical%20Performance%20and%20Applications%20of%20Several%20Popular%20Lithium-ion%20Batteries%20for%20Electric%20Vehicles%20-%20A%20Review.pdf See also this alternative academic article source.]
</ref>
</references>

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{{nickel compounds}}
{{cobalt compounds}}
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[[Category:Lithium compounds]]
[[Category:Nickel compounds]]
[[Category:Cobalt compounds]]
[[Category:Aluminium compounds]]
[[Category:Oxygen compounds]]

{{Sourceattribution|Lithium nickel cobalt aluminium oxides}}