Patent ID: 7718320

Claim:
A method for forming a cathode material for a lithium-ion battery, comprising the steps of: a) providing a crystalline lithium transition metal oxide of LiNi (0.92) Mg (0.08) O 2 or Li (1.07) Mn (1.93) O 4 , b) providing starting chemicals Fe 2 O 3 , Li 2 CO 3 , H 3 PO 4 , and C in stoichiometric amounts of 1:1:2:2. c) forming and mixing a slurry of the starting chemicals, drying the slurry in air at about 150° C., for about 10 hours, heating the dried slurry to about 400° C. for about 5 hours to obtain a product suitable for milling, d) combining and milling the materials of a) and c) so as to form a mixture of the materials of a) and c) in particulate form, the mixture containing 3 wt % of crystalline lithium transition metal oxide, e) providing a furnace having a furnace chamber with a gaseous environment of air, f) heating the material of step d) to form a cathode material having a defective crystalline structure of crystalline LiFe (1−x) M x P (1−x) O 2(2−x) or Li (1−x/2) M x Fe (1−x) P (1−x) O 2(2−x) wherein 0.01≦x≦0.3, M is one or more elements from the group of metals consisting of nickel, magnesium and manganese, said heating is carried out in a vessel in the air of the furnace chamber at a temperature of about 600° C. for a period of about 10 hours, and surfaces of the material facing the air are covered by a layer of an inert blanket of a solid material which is porous and that allows air permeation and escaping of any gases caused by said heating.