Rapid thermal sintering of screen-printed LiCoO2 films

A rapid photonic sintering process (rapid thermal processing) was used to obtain compact films of cathode active material of lithium batteries. LiCoO2 (LCO) thick films were screen-printed on a steel substrate followed by a contactless thermal processing at 1000 °C in only 90 s. A homogenous densification of such layers could be verified by scanning electron microscopy, while the structural consistency of the LCO phase in these layers could be detected by X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy. Furthermore, electrochemical activity of the layer was confirmed by electrochemical cell tests with a liquid electrolyte.