Effect of Stirring on Particle Shape and Size in Hydrothermal Synthesis of LiCoO₂

Lithium cobalt oxide (LCO) is a highly significant material for the positive electrodes of lithium-ion batteries. Due to the correlation between crystal morphology and electrochemical performance in the layered rock-salt structure, LCO with crystal morphology exhibiting anisotropy demonstrates superior charge-discharge characteristics. In this study, various morphologies of LCO were synthesized via hydrothermal synthesis using a plate-like precursor. Under conditions without agitation, a hexagonal plate-like LCO was synthesized, while a spherical LCO was obtained with agitation during synthesis. The particle morphology was investigated by using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Furthermore, in the performance evaluation of positive electrode materials for lithium-ion batteries, the hexagonal plate-like LCO exhibited a larger charge-discharge capacity compared to the spherical LCO.