Patent ID: 8920975

Claim:
A method of producing a nitrided lithium-transition metal compound oxide, the nitrided lithium-transition metal compound oxide having a rock-salt layer structure or a spinel structure comprising Li, at least one transition metal, oxygen atoms, and nitrogen atoms dispersed in the structure such that nitrogen atoms replace some of the oxygen atoms as compared to a lithium-transition metal compound oxide absent nitrogen, the method comprising the steps of: preparing a raw material composite that has a raw material containing lithium, transition metal, and oxygen and a nitriding agent that is expressed by a following General Formula (1) and is solid or liquid at room temperature (25° C.); wherein R 1 , R 2 , and R 3 are independent of each other and are each a functional group having at least one of carbon (C), hydrogen (H), oxygen (O), and nitrogen (N), and synthesizing the nitrided lithium-transition metal compound oxide wherein the synthesized nitride lithium-transition metal compound oxide comprises Li, at least one transition metal, oxygen atoms, and nitrogen atoms dispersed in the structure such that nitrogen atoms replace some of the oxygen atoms as compared to the lithium-transition metal compound oxide absent nitrogen by firing the raw material composite to nitride the raw material; wherein the nitrogen is present in the synthesized nitrided lithium-transition metal compound oxide in a molar ratio of at least 0.1.