Interactions between potassium aluminosilicates and Li-ion battery cathode materials during calcination

To assess the feasibility of potassium aluminosilicates (KAlSiO4, KAS2 and KAlSi2O6, KAS4) as the refractory sagger material for the calcination of Li-ion battery cathode materials, the interaction behavior between KAS2 (KAS4) and the Li(NixCoyMnz)O2 (LNCM) material was investigated at temperatures ranging from 800 to 1100 °C. The phase composition and microstructure of calcined KAS2 (KAS4)-LNCM precursor mixtures were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), respectively. The results indicate that potassium aluminosilicates exhibit superior resistance to corrosion by LNCM materials compared with mullite and MgO-based refractories, and rarely react with LNCM materials during calcination.