Precursors for lithium transition metal oxide cathode materials for rechargeable batteries

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10727475-B2
Application number	US-201715670299-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 7, 2017
Priority date	Aug 10, 2016
Publication date	Jul 28, 2020
Grant date	Jul 28, 2020

Abstract

A particulate precursor compound for manufacturing a lithium transition metal oxide powder for use as an active positive electrode material in lithium-ion batteries, the precursor having the general formula NixMnyCozAaOv(OH)w, wherein 0.15<v<0.30, v+w=2, 0.30≤x≤0.75, 0.10≤y≤0.40, 0.10≤z≤0.40, A being a dopant with a≤0.05, and x+y+z+a=1, the precursor consisting of a crystal structure having an XRD pattern with twin peaks at 2θ=38±0.5°, the twin peaks having a left peak having a peak intensity IL and a right peak having a peak intensity IR, and a peak intensity ratio R=IR/IL with R>0.7, and the XRD pattern being free of peaks belonging to either one or both of a spinel and an oxyhydroxide compound.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A particulate precursor compound for manufacturing a lithium transition metal oxide powder for use as an active positive electrode material in lithium-ion batteries, the precursor compound having a general formula Ni x Mn y Co z A a O v (OH) w , wherein 0.15<v<0.30, v+w=2, 0.30≤x≤0.75, 0.10≤y≤0.40, 0.10<z≤0.40, A being a dopant with a≤0.05, and x+y+z+a=1, the precursor compound comprising a crystal structure having an XRD pattern with twin peaks at 2θ=38±0.5°, wherein the twin peaks comprise a left peak having a peak intensity I L , a right peak having a peak intensity I R , and a peak intensity ratio R=I R /I L with R>0.7, wherein the XRD pattern is free of peaks belonging to one or both of a spinel and an oxyhydroxide compound.

2. The particulate precursor compound of claim 1 , wherein the precursor compound has an XRD pattern with twin peaks at 2θ=38±0.5°, the twin peaks having a left peak and a right peak, wherein the left peak belongs to an XRD pattern of a β(II)-Me(OH) 2 structure and the right peak belongs to an XRD pattern of an oxidized β(II)-Me(OH) 2 structure, and wherein the weight % of the β(II)-Me(OH) 2 structure in the precursor compound is more than 0 wt % and less than 48 wt %.

3. The particulate precursor compound of claim 1 , wherein the precursor compound has an XRD pattern with additional twin peaks at 2θ=33±0.5° and 52±0.5°.

4. The particulate precursor compound of claim 1 , wherein R<+∞.

5. The particulate precursor compound of claim 2 , wherein the weight % of the oxidized β(II)-Me(OH) 2 structure in the precursor is <95 wt %.

6. The particulate precursor compound of claim 1 , having the general formula Ni x Mn y Co z O v (OH) w , wherein 0.30≤x≤0.60, 0.20≤y≤0.35, 0.20≤z≤0.35, and x+y+z=1.

7. A method for preparing the particulate precursor compound of claim 1 , comprising:
providing a metal salt solution comprising Ni, Mn, Co and A,
adding an alkali hydroxide compound to the metal salt solution, thereby
precipitating a wet particulate precursor compound comprising a pure hydroxide crystal structure and a quantity of H 2 O,
drying the wet particulate precursor compound during a heat treatment at a temperature between 130° C. and 160° C. in vacuum, thereby lowering the H 2 O content below 1 wt %,
continuing to heat treat the dried precursor compound, thereby removing between 0.15 and 0.30 mole H 2 per mole pure hydroxide precursor, and
cooling the dried particulate precursor compound to room temperature under vacuum.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the step of cooling the dried particulate precursor compound to room temperature is performed under dry air.

Assignees

• Umicore Nv
• Umicore Korea Ltd

Inventors

• Zhu Liang
• DePALMA Randy
• Cho Sung Jun

Classifications

• C01G53/82 Primary

  Compounds containing nickel, with or without oxygen or hydrogen, and containing two or more other elements · CPC title

• Y02E60/10

  Energy storage using batteries · CPC title

• H01M4/525

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

• C01P2002/74

  by peak-intensities or a ratio thereof only · CPC title

• C01P2002/72

  by d-values or two theta-values, e.g. as X-ray diagram · CPC title