TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - CHEMICAL ENGINEERING - Preferred Method: After the heating step, the deposited cobalt-containing compound is washed with solvent such as water, hot water or alcohol, and the washed compound is dried. The cobalt-containing oxide is prepared by heat-treating the deposited cobalt-containing compound in air or oxygen at 250-1200degreesC. The lithium- containing material is mixed with the deposited cobalt-containing compound or the cobalt-containing oxide using water or alcohol as a solvent or dispersion medium. Before the calcining step, the mixture is heat-dried by mixing of the cobalt-containing oxide with the lithium-containing material at at most500degreesC. The mixture is baked at 700-1000degreesC. Preferred Parameters: The secondary particle formed via aggregation of the primary particles has a columnar shape, and has size in a short length direction of at most 73. The secondary particle formed via aggregation of the primary particles has a planar shape, and average thickness of 0.1-1 mum. The primary particles have an average particle size of 0.1-7 mum. The lithium metal composite oxide particles have a specific surface area of 1-3 m2/g. The mixed solution is heated at 70-130degreesC. It has a pH value of less than 9.    TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - INORGANIC CHEMISTRY - Preferred Composition: The elemental composition is of formula LixCoO2 or LixCo1-yMyO2.x = greater than 0 to 1.2;y = greater than 0 to 0.2;M = nickel, manganese, titanium, iron, aluminum, silicon, yttrium, zirconium, niobium, or molybdenum.The cobalt salt is cobalt nitrate, cobalt acetate, cobalt formate, cobalt chloride or cobalt sulfate. The cobalt-salt further contains a salt of metallic element(s) such as nickel, manganese, iron, and aluminum. The lithium-containing material is lithium nitrate, lithium hydroxide, lithium acetate, lithium formate, lithium citrate, lithium tartrate, lithium succinate, or lithium alkoxide.    TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - ORGANIC CHEMISTRY - Preferred Composition: The elemental composition is of formula LixCoO2 or LixCo1-yMyO2.x = greater than 0 to 1.2;y = greater than 0 to 0.2;M = nickel, manganese, titanium, iron, aluminum, silicon, yttrium, zirconium, niobium, or molybdenum.The cobalt salt is cobalt nitrate, cobalt acetate, cobalt formate, cobalt chloride or cobalt sulfate. The cobalt-salt further contains a salt of metallic element(s) such as nickel, manganese, iron, and aluminum. The lithium-containing material is lithium nitrate, lithium hydroxide, lithium acetate, lithium formate, lithium citrate, lithium tartrate, lithium succinate, or lithium alkoxide.    TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - ORGANIC CHEMISTRY - Preferred Components: The surfactant is a nonionic surfactant. The substituted urea is ethylurea or thiourea.