Abstract
Lithium cobaltate (LiCoO 2 ) was produced by carbon combustion synthesis of oxide (CCSO) using carbon nanoparticles as a fuel. In this method, the exothermic oxidation of carbon nanoparticles with an average size of 5 nm (specific surface 80 m 2 /g) gives rise to a self-propagating thermal wave with maximum temperatures of up to 900°C. The thermal front rapidly propagates through the mixture of solid reactants converting it to lithium cobaltate. XRD data suggest that the as-synthesized products were single phase. Carbon is not incorporated in the product and is evolved from the reaction zone as gaseous CO 2 . Thermogravimetric analysis was used to identify the features of interaction in the LiNO 3 -Co 3 O 4 -C system. The key features affecting the process-carbon pre-concentration in the reacting mixture and oxygen infiltration to the reaction zone-led to the formation of layered structure of LiCoO 2 and affected the particle sizes. The synthesized crystalline nanoparticles were nearly spherical, and their average particle diameters ranged between 60 and 200 nm.