At present, the widely used lithium-ion battery has three kinds of lithium cobaltate, lithium manganate and lithium iron phosphate, and the cathode materials of these three kinds of lithium-ion batteries are all made of lithium carbonate as raw material. Lithium cobaltate, lithium manganate and lithium iron phosphate are three common cathode materials in lithium-ion batteries, each of them has different characteristics and application areas.

Lithium Cobaltate (LiCoO2)

Lithium cobalt is a compound composed of lithium, cobalt and oxygen, with a hexagonal dense stacking structure. It occupies an important position in the field of batteries with its high energy density, long cycle life and low self-discharge. The specific energy of lithium cobaltate can reach more than 150mAh/g, the cycle life can reach more than 500 times, and the self-discharge rate is low. This makes lithium cobalt acid battery in electric vehicles, smart phones, laptop computers and other electronic products, as well as energy storage power stations, solar energy, wind energy and other new energy fields have a wide range of applications. However, the manufacturing cost of LiCoO2 is high and the stability of cobalt material is poor, which limits its application scope to some extent.

Lithium Manganate (LiMn2O4)

Lithium manganate is an inorganic compound with the chemical formula LiMn2O4, which is usually a spinel phase, dark gray powder. Lithium manganate has a spinel structure and belongs to the cubic crystal system, with spatially three-dimensional lithium ion transport channels, which is advantageous under conditions of large magnification charging and discharging. With low price, high potential, environmentally friendly and high reliability, lithium manganate is a promising cathode material to replace lithium cobaltate as a new generation of lithium-ion batteries. However, the cycling performance and electrochemical stability of LiMn2O4 are poor, which limits its industrialization to a certain extent. Lithium manganate is mainly used in electric vehicles, small power type electric tools, digital electronic products, energy storage and other fields.

Lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4)

Lithium iron phosphate is an olivine structure of lithium-ion battery anode material, composed of four elements: iron, phosphorus, oxygen and lithium. Lithium iron phosphate has the advantages of high reliability, long cycle life, wide temperature range and environmental friendliness.2 Its crystal structure is stable and not easy to be thermally decomposed and burned, and its cycle life is generally over 2,000 times, and it can be used in the temperature range of -20℃~60℃. Lithium iron phosphate is widely used in electric vehicles, energy storage devices, power tools and other fields. Investment opportunities in lithium iron phosphate power battery cathode materials in the power battery industry are usually favored.