Cathode active material for a nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery and manufacturing method thereof, and a nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery that uses cathode active material

Abstract

The present invention provides a cathode active material that makes possible a high capacity nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery that has excellent discharge load characteristics that provide both good cycle characteristics and thermal stability. The cathode active material comprises a lithium nickel composite oxide having the compositional formula LiNiMO(where, M is at least one kind of element that is selected from among a transitional metal other than Ni, a group 2 element, and group 13 element, and 0.01≦a≦0.5) to which fine lithium manganese composite oxide particle adhere to the surface thereof. This lithium nickel composite oxide is obtained by adding manganese salt solution to a lithium nickel composite oxide slurry, causing manganese hydroxide that contains lithium to adhere to the surface of the lithium nickel composite oxide particles, and then baking that lithium nickel composite oxide.