R + D + i

• Study of the different synthetic routes of current and future generation cathode materials with low cobalt content, scalable to industrial processes. 
• Route selection and introduction of material improvements. 
• Adaptation of selected routes for use for future generation materials. 
• Optimization of improved routes and integration of materials into electrodes 
• Study of the electrodes in different conditions to know the most optimal uses for them. 

2021 Results 

• Study of the state of the art in techniques for the synthesis of cathode materials with high nickel content. 
• Synthesis of functional NMC811 using co-precipitation, combustion and ball mill techniques. 
• Post-processing of NMC 811 for the preparation of cathode electrodes. 
• Cathode electrode preparation and half-cell characterizations. 
• Optimization of synthesis using a ball mill at different agitation speeds. 

2022 Results 

• Optimization of optimal synthesis conditions, grinding speed and time, and optimal temperature and calcination time to obtain an improved NMC 811 material. 
• Particle size optimization such as high-energy grinding, at different grinding times and speeds to try to obtain an appropriate size distribution. 
• Extrapolation study of the synthesis route to Li-rich NMC. 
• Electrochemical characterization of optimal cathodes obtained.