Patent ID: 7622190

Claim:
A composition comprising a lithium compound and a mixed metal hydroxide of comprising nickel, cobalt, and aluminum, wherein the mixed metal hydroxide has a particulate form comprising powder particles, and the powder particles have a core and a surface, said core of said powder particles comprising nickel/cobalt hydroxide, and said surface of said powder particles being coated with amorphous aluminum hydroxide, said mixed metal hydroxide prepared by precipitating aluminum hydroxide in the presence of cobalt-containing nickel hydroxide, by means of: a) feeding continuously into a tube reactor, an aqueous suspension of cobalt-containing nickel hydroxide, and an aqueous solution of an alkali metal aluminate, thereby forming a mixture of said aqueous suspension of cobalt-containing nickel hydroxide and said aqueous solution of said alkali metal, and b) neutralizing the mixture of said aqueous suspension and said aqueous solution as it flows through said tube reactor, thereby converting the alkali metal aluminate into aluminum hydroxide, wherein said composition is a precursor of an active material for preparing positive electrode of a secondary battery.