Lithium rich nickel manganese cobalt oxide (LR-NMC)

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10199649-B2
Application number	US-201514978808-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 22, 2015
Priority date	Dec 23, 2014
Publication date	Feb 5, 2019
Grant date	Feb 5, 2019

Abstract

Set forth herein are positive electrode active material compositions, e.g., lithium-rich nickel manganese cobalt oxides. The lithium-rich nickel manganese cobalt oxides set forth herein are characterized, in some examples, by an expanded unit cell which maximizes the uniform distribution of transition metals in the crystalline oxide. Also set forth herein are positive electrode thin films including lithium-rich nickel manganese cobalt oxide materials. Disclosed herein are novel and inventive methods of making and using lithium-rich nickel manganese cobalt oxide materials for lithium rechargeable batteries. Also disclosed herein are novel electrochemical devices which incorporate these materials.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An oxygen-deficient positive electrode active material, characterized by the following formula: Li 1+x Ni y Mn w Co z O 2−(x/2) , wherein:
0.02≤x≤0.25;
0.5≤y ≤0.8;
0.1≤w≤0.6;
0.05≤z≤0.45; and
y+w+z=1.

2. The material of claim 1 , wherein w=z.

3. The material of claim 1 , wherein y>w and y>z.

4. The material of claim 1 , wherein y>w+z.

5. The material of claim 1 , wherein y >w.

6. The material of claim 1 , wherein y is at least two times greater than w.

7. The material of claim 1 , wherein y is at least two and a half times greater than w.

8. The material of claim 1 , wherein y >z.

9. The material of claim 1 , wherein an amount of the Li occupies Ni, Mn, or Co crystal lattice positions.

10. The material of claim 9 , wherein an amount of the Li occupies Ni crystal lattice positions.

11. The material of claim 10 , wherein an amount of the Li ranges from 0.1 to 25 mol %.

12. The material of claim 1 , wherein the material is a layered-layered oxide.

13. The material of claim 12 , wherein the material comprises at least two polycrystalline layered oxide phases.

14. The material of claim 13 , wherein the at least two polycrystalline layered oxide phases are inter-grown phases.

15. The material of claim 13 , comprising a third polycrystalline inter-growth layered oxide.

16. The material of claim 13 , wherein one of the at least two crystalline layered oxide phases is Li 2 M 1 O 3 where M 1 is selected from Ni, Mn, and Co.

17. The material of claim 16 , wherein the Li 2 M 1 O 3 is isostructural to Na 2 MnO 3 and has C2/m symmetry.

18. The material of claim 13 , wherein one of the at least two crystalline layered oxide phases is Li 1+x M 2 O 2 where M 2 is selected from Ni, Mn, and Co.

19. The material of claim 18 , wherein the Li 1+x M 2 O 2 is iso-structural to NaFeO 2 and has R3m symmetry.

20. The material of claim 19 , wherein the third polycrystalline inter-growth layered oxide is selected from a low voltage stability phase.

21. The material of claim 20 , wherein the low voltage stability phase is a spinel phase.

22. The material of claim 13 , wherein the material is described as a two-phase mixture aLi 2 M 1 O 3 +(1−a)Li 1+x M 2 O 2 , wherein:
0≤a ≤0.3;
“a” is the relative mole fraction of Li 2 M 1 O 3 ;
0≤x ≤0.1; and
“x” is the mole fraction of excess lithium in the material characterized by the formula Li 1+x M 2 O 2 .

23. The material of claim 1 , further comprising a dopant selected from the group consisting of Al, Fe, Mg, Na, V, Cr, Ti, Zr and combinations thereof.

24. The material of claim 23 , wherein the dopant is Al at a concentration of about 0.1 to about 5 mol %.

25. The material of claim 23 , wherein the dopant is Fe at a concentration of about 0.1 to about 5 mol %.

26. The material of claim 23 , wherein the dopant is a combination of Al and Fe at a total dopant concentration of about 5 mol %.

27. The material of claim 1 , wherein the material is polycrystalline and characterized by a first X-ray diffraction (XRD) pattern intensity {003} peak at 19(2⊖) and a second XRD pattern intensity {101} peak at 38-39° (2⊖), and wherein the ratio of the first peak to the second peak is equal to or greater than 1.

28. The material of claim 27 , wherein the ratio is greater than 1.5.

29. The material of claim 27 , wherein the ratio is greater than 2.0.

30. The material of claim 1 , wherein the material is polycrystalline.

31. The material of claim 1 , wherein the unit cell of Li 1+x M 2 is characterized by a unit cell volume ranging from 95 to 120 Å 3 .

32. The material of claim 31 , wherein the unit cell of Li 1+x M 2 O 2 is characterized by a unit cell volume ranging from 102 to 103 Å 3 .

33. The material of claim 31 , wherein the unit cell of Li 1+x M 2 O 2 is characterized by a unit cell volume less than 102 Å 3 .

34. The material of claim 31 , wherein the unit cell is greater than 95 Å 3 .

35. The material of claim 33 , wherein x is 0.25.

36. The material of claim 1 , having a specific capacity of at least 212 mAh/g and C/10 rate.

37. The material claim 1 , having a specific energy density of at least 725 Wh/kg and 825 Wh/kg at 1C and C/10 rate, respectively.

38. The material of claim 1 , having a specific energy density of at least 750 mWh/g at C/1 rate.

39. The material of claim 1 , having a specific energy density of at least 680 mWh/g at 2C rate.

40. The material of claim 1 , having a specific energy density of at least 820 Wh/kg at C/10 rate.

41. The material of claim 1 , having a specific energy density of at least 740 Wh/kg at 1C rate.

42. The material of claim 1 , wherein one of the at least one crystalline material therein has a grain size from about 50 nm to about 500 nm.

43. The material of claim 42 , wherein the grain size is about 200 nm.

44. The material of claim 42 , wherein the grain size is determined by analysis of a scanning electron microscopy image.

45. The material of claim 42 , wherein the determined grain size is from the dominant or majority crystal phase.

46. The material of claim 1 , characterized by one formula selected from the group consisting of:
Li 1+x Ni 0.5 Mn 0.25 Co 0.25 O 2−(X/2) ;
Li 1+x Ni 0.6 Mn 0.20 Co 0.20 O 2−(x/2) ;
Li 1+x Ni 0.55 Mn 0.4 Co 0.05 O 2−(x/2) ;
Li 1+x Ni 0.71 Mn 0.15 Co 0.14 O 2−(x/2) ;
Li 1+x Ni 0.71 Mn 0.14 Co 0.15 O 2−(x/2) ;
Li 1+x Ni 0.70 Mn 0.15 Co 0.15 O 2−(x/2) .

47. The material of claim 1 , further comprising a dopant selected from the group consisting of Al, Fe, Mg, Na, V, Cr, Ti, Zr and combinations thereof.

48. The material of claim 47 , wherein the dopant is present at about 0.1 to 10 atomic %.

49. The material of claim 47 , wherein the dopant is present at about 1 to 5 atomic %.

50. The material of claim 1 , wherein the material has a surface coating selected from the group consisting of AlF x wherein 0≤x ≤3, CoPO 4 , LiFePO 4 , lithium phosphate, lithium hydroxyphosphate, cobalt oxide, alumina, aluminum phosphate, lithium aluminum phosphate, lithium aluminate, aluminum fluoride, titania, titanium phosphate, lithium titanate, lithium niobate, lithium zirconate, and lithiated or delithiated versions of the preceding compounds.

51. The material of claim 50 , wherein the surface coating has a thickness less than 20 nm, 15 nm, 10 nm or 5 nm.

52. The material of claim 50 , wherein the surface coating is aluminum fluoride, titania, or doped aluminum fluoride.

53. The material of claim 1 , wherein the material is characterized by a tap density of 1-2.5 g/cm 3 for a d 50 particle size distribution from 4 to 30 μm.

54. A positive electrode comprising the material of claim 1 .

55. An electrochemical device comprising a positive electrode comprising the material of claim 1 .

56. The material of claim 1 , wherein all of the Ni atoms have a Mn or Co nearest neighbor.

Assignees

• Quantumscape Corp

Inventors

• Beck Larry
• Du Kevin

Classifications

• C01P2006/11

  Powder tap density · CPC title

• C01P2004/03

  obtained by SEM · CPC title

• H01M4/525 Primary

  of mixed oxides or hydroxides containing iron, cobalt or nickel for inserting or intercalating light metals, e.g. LiNiO2, LiCoO2 or LiCoOxFy · CPC title

• H01M4/131

  Electrodes based on mixed oxides or hydroxides, or on mixtures of oxides or hydroxides, e.g. LiCoOx · CPC title

• H01M4/505 Primary

  of mixed oxides or hydroxides containing manganese for inserting or intercalating light metals, e.g. LiMn2O4 or LiMn2OxFy · CPC title