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Lithium Cobalt Oxide

Also Known As Lithium Cobaltate
Materials Engineering

Lithium cobalt oxide (LiCoO2), sometimes called lithium cobaltate, is a black crystalline compound whose usefulness as an intercalation electrode was discovered in 1980 by an Oxford University research group led by John B. Goodenough working with Tokyo University's Koichi Mizushima. During charging, lithium ions leave the layered oxide for the electrolyte while cobalt is partially oxidized to a higher state, a reaction that reverses on discharge; Sony used the compound as the cathode of the world's first commercially sold rechargeable lithium-ion battery in 1991. Batteries built on lithium cobalt oxide cathodes have very stable capacities, though they offer lower capacity and power than newer nickel-rich cathode chemistries. This description is adapted from Wikipedia contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0; changes were made. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

Facts
Primary Use
Cathode material in rechargeable lithium-ion batteries, particularly in handheld electronics. 1
Origin Year
1980 1
Classification
Material Class
Ceramic 1
Connections

Associated With

Source Lithium Cobalt Oxide (Wikipedia)Wikipedia contributors
Materials Engineering, Fields

The cathode material that made rechargeable lithium-ion batteries practical.

Smartphone, Inventions

LCO is a common cathode in consumer device batteries

The Lithium-Ion Battery, Inventions

Lithium cobalt oxide is the cathode material that made the first commercially viable rechargeable lithium-ion battery possible.

Source Lithium Cobalt Oxide (Wikipedia)Wikipedia contributors

In Field

Source Lithium Cobalt Oxide (Wikipedia)Wikipedia contributors

Invented By

Goodenough led the Oxford University group that identified lithium cobalt oxide as a usable battery electrode in 1980, working with Tokyo University's Koichi Mizushima.

Source Lithium Cobalt Oxide (Wikipedia)Wikipedia contributors
Sources
1. Lithium Cobalt Oxide (Wikipedia)
Wikipedia contributors, Wikimedia Foundation
  • Use in rechargeable batteries section
    The usefulness of lithium cobalt oxide as an intercalation electrode was discovered in 1980 by an Oxford University research group led by John B. Goodenough and Tokyo University's Koichi Mizushima.
  • Introduction
    Lithium cobalt oxide, sometimes called lithium cobaltate or lithium cobaltite, is a chemical compound with formula LiCoO2.
  • material-class sentence
    Lithium cobalt oxide (LiCoO2), sometimes called lithium cobaltate, is a black crystalline compound whose usefulness as an intercalation electrode was discovered in 1980 by an Oxford University research group led by John B. Goodenough working with Tokyo University's Koichi Mizushima.
  • In Category: Material
  • In Field: Materials Engineering
  • Associated With: The Lithium-Ion Battery
  • Invented By: John Goodenough
View the Source
Lithium-ion Battery (Wikipedia)
Wikipedia contributors, Wikimedia FoundationHistory section
Quote, History section
In 1991, using Yoshino's design, Sony began producing and selling the world's first rechargeable lithium-ion batteries.
View the Source
Frequently Asked Questions

How did lithium cobalt oxide become the cathode of the first commercial lithium-ion battery?

Goodenough's group found it useful as an electrode in 1980, and Sony used it in the first commercial lithium-ion battery in 1991.

An Oxford University research group led by John B. Goodenough, working with Tokyo University's Koichi Mizushima, discovered its usefulness as an intercalation electrode in 1980. Sony then used it as the cathode of the world's first commercially sold rechargeable lithium-ion battery in 1991. It has very stable capacities, though newer nickel-rich cathode chemistries offer more capacity and power.

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