Manganese-rich transition metal carbonate precursors (Ni0.15Co0.15Mn0.7CO3) have been synthesized by the carbonate precipitation in the presence of ethanol. The physical properties of the precursors with different concentration of ethanol have been examined by XRD and SEM. The XRD results show that the precursors prepared by this method are typical hexagonal structure. The SEM results show that the particles of the precursors with the presence of ethanol display more spherical and dispersed than those prepared without using ethanol. Galvanostatic charge-discharge experiments demonstrate that the initial discharge capacity of the cathode material (Li1.2Ni0.12Co0.12Mn0.56O2) is improved by the addition of ethanol. In addition, the effects of reaction temperature, the molar ratio of precipitant/total-cations on the morphology of the resultant precursors and the electrochemical properties of the prepared powders are also investigated. Among the synthesized materials, the sample prepared with 10 vol% ethanol and a fixed concentration ratio ([CO32 ]/[M2+] = 10) at 65 degrees C exhibits not only a relatively high discharge capacity of 272.1 mA h g (1), but also excellent rate performance and good cycling performance. (C) 2015 The Society of Powder Technology Japan. Published by Elsevier B.V. and The Society of Powder Technology Japan. All rights reserved.