context: Spherical [Ni0.5Mn0.5](OH)2 precursors were synthesized by the co-precipitation method. Stoichiometric amounts of NiSO4·6H2O and MnSO4·H2O (Samchun Chemical, Korea) were used as starting materials for [Ni0.5Mn0.5](OH)2. The metal solution concentration (2 mol L−1 for the metal solution), pH (∼11.0), temperature (45 °C), and stirring speed of the mixture in the batch-type reactor were carefully controlled. At the same time, aqueous NaOH (Samchun, Korea; NaOH/transition metal molar ratio = 2:1) and aqueous NH4OH (Junsei, Japan; NH4OH/transition metal molar ratio = 1.1:1) as chelating agents were separately fed into the reactor. The precursor powders were obtained by filtering, washing and vacuum drying at 110 °C overnight. For the Na[Ni0.5Mn0.5]O2 cathode, the obtained spherical precursors were mixed with Na2CO3 (Na:[Ni + Mn] molar ratio = 1.05:1, 5% excess Na2CO3), calcined at 800 °C for 24 h in an oxygen atmosphere, and quenched under vacuum conditions. For Ca-substituted Na1−2xCax[Ni0.5Mn0.5]O2 cathodes, an appropriate amount of Ca(OH)2 was mixed with the [Ni0.5Mn0.5](OH)2 precursor and Na2CO3 (Na:Ca:[Ni + Mn] molar ratio = 1.05–2x:x:1, x = 0.01, 0.02, and 0.03) in the same calcination process.
answer: Na[Ni0.5Mn0.5]O