METHOD FOR MAKING PRECURSORS OF CATHODE ACTIVE MATERIALS FOR LITHIUM ION BATTERIES

Disclosed herein is a process for making a particulate (oxy)hydroxide of TM, where TM represents a combination of metals and includes nickel and at least one metal selected from cobalt and aluminum and manganese. The process includes:(a) combining an aqueous slurry of metallic nickel and at least one metal selected from aluminum and transition metals other than nickel with an oxidant selected from oxygen and nitrate in a first reaction vessel or in a first group of reaction vessels at a temperature of from 5° to 40° C.,(b) transferring aqueous reaction medium from the first reaction vessel to a second reaction vessel, where the second reaction vessel contains a slurry of a hydroxide of TM,(c) removing the particles from step (b) from the liquid by a solid-liquid separation method, and drying the particles, and(d) returning liquid phase obtained in step (c) to the first reaction vessel.