Lithium Nickel Manganese Cobalt Oxide (NMC)

APRIL 17, 2023

by J.J. Hocken, Product Manager Batteries & DC Technologies

The NMC battery, a combination of Nickel, Manganese, and Cobalt, has been a powerful and suitable lithium-ion system that can be designed for both energy and power cell applications. NMC batteries began with equal parts Nickel (33%), Cobalt (33%), and Manganese (33%)  and is known as NMC111 or NMC333. 

As technology and the needs in the market changed to require an increase in energy density and cobalt-reduced NMC batteries, new variants of NMC were designed. Many of the variants had increased Nickel content and decreased Cobalt and Manganese content.

The increase in Nickel produces energy dense batteries but can also reduce the life expectancy in some cases. The most common variants of NMC are NMC532, NMC622, and the newer NMC811.

Lithium hydroxide is required to make NMC811, which typically consists of 80% Nickel, 10% Manganese, and 10% Cobalt and has an increased energy density to around 200 m Ah/g.

Although Cobalt in the cathode of an NMC battery is used to stabilize the structure, increase battery life, and reduce cathode corrosion, an increasing number of battery manufacturers are looking to reduce the amount of Cobalt used in batteries as it can be the most problematic element due to price volatility, supply chain, and mining.

Cobalt is mined throughout the world; one of the largest cobalt suppliers is the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), followed by Russia. China leads the world in refined cobalt production at 70% of total global supply - and the matieral is uses comes mostly from the DRC. Cobalt mining can be very dangerous with exposure to toxic chemicals, gases, and accidents.

The USA has put regulations and restrictions in place to make sure certain sources of Cobalt and other minerals are not used in future supplies and designs. Estimates show that there will be a Cobalt shortage by 2028, which has been quickened by the increased use of Cobalt in electric vehicles and battery energy storage designs.

Lithium NMC can also be used in laptops, smartphones, and other mobile electronics. Depending on where and how the batteries are used, the NMC battery cells can be in a variety of different form types, such as cylindrical, prismatic, and pouch cells. The various cell forms and designs each have their own advantages:

Prismatic Cells

• Improve space utilization and are most suitable if a flexible design is needed
• Common in consumer electronics, energy storage systems, and electrical vehicles

Cylindrical Cells

• Easier to manufacture and have better mechanical stability with high internal pressures
• Tend to be more reliable in design 
• Used in some electrical vehicles, medical instruments, laptops, e-bikes, and power tools

Pouch Cells

• Lightweight, space efficient, and can have greater capacity
• Can have a challenge with swelling that can be a result of gas generation during charge and discharge
• Does have an advantage over other form factors due to its 90-95% packaging efficiency and flexible size
• Typically requires a support enclosure or structure
• Commonly used in vehicles, cell phones, laptops, and tablets

Advantages of the NMC battery chemistry in the UPS industry

	Increased energy/power density
	Decreased footprint compared to Lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP) and VRLA batteries, which can reduce operation and infrastructure costs
	Lightweight, which can translate into reduced floor loading requirements
	Typically, a 10-year design lifespan (use case and design dependent)
	Can be cheaper in price compared to LFP and VRLA from a per UPS system standpoint
	General Operating Temperature of 25°C (77°F) +/- 5°
	C rates fit well with UPS applications Typically 0.28C to 0.55C based on design and application of the UPS (With NMC, it is preferred not to exceed 0.8C in most applications) Can be charged up to 100% SOC in 30 minutes to 1 hour depending on the UPS charge output
	Favorable sustainability factors (GHG Emissions per average value of battery capacity)
	Favorable UL9540A test results for most known brands
	Manageable risk of fire propagation and thermal runaway
	Typical fire suppression techniques: Excessive amounts of water, carbon dioxide, dry chemical, or foam extinguishers