Composite cathode active material for lithium ion battery, manufacturing method therefor, and lithium ion battery containing cathode comprising same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10790504-B2
Application number	US-201716326894-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 22, 2017
Priority date	Aug 26, 2016
Publication date	Sep 29, 2020
Grant date	Sep 29, 2020

Abstract

Provided are a composite cathode active material for a lithium ion battery including a nickel-rich lithium nickel-based compound having a nickel content of 50 to 100 mol % based on a total content of transition metals; and a coating film including a rare earth metal hydroxide and disposed on the surface of the nickel-rich lithium nickel-based compound, a manufacturing method therefor, and a lithium ion battery including a cathode including the composite cathode active material.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A composite cathode active material for a lithium ion battery comprising:
a nickel-rich lithium nickel-based compound having a nickel content of 50 to 100 mol % based on a total content of transition metals; and
a coating film comprising a rare earth metal hydroxide and disposed on the surface of the nickel-rich lithium nickel-based compound.

2. The composite cathode active material of claim 1 , wherein a specific surface area of the composite cathode active material is from 1.2 to 1.8 m 2 /g.

3. The composite cathode active material of claim 1 , wherein the rare earth metal hydroxide comprises at least one selected from yttrium hydroxide, cerium hydroxide, lanthanum hydroxide, europium hydroxide, gadolinium hydroxide, scandium hydroxide, and terbium hydroxide.

4. The composite cathode active material of claim 1 , wherein a content of the rare earth metal hydroxide is in a range of 0.14 to 1.4 parts by weight based on 100 parts by weight of the nickel-rich lithium nickel-based compound.

5. The composite cathode active material of claim 1 , wherein the nickel-rich lithium nickel-based compound is a compound represented by Formula 1 below:
Li x Ni y M 1−y O 2   Formula 1

wherein in Formula 1, 0.9≤x≤1.2, 0.5≤y≤1.0, and M comprises at least one selected from cobalt (Co), manganese (Mn), and aluminum (Al).

6. The composite cathode active material of claim 5 , wherein the compound of Formula 1 is a compound represented by Formula 2 below or a compound represented by Formula 3 below:
Li x Ni y Co z Mn 1−y−z O 2   Formula 2

wherein in Formula 2, 1≤x≤1.2, 0.5≤y≤1, 0≤z≤0.5, and 0≤1−y−z≤0.5,
Li x Ni y Co z Al 1−y−z O 2   Formula 3

in Formula 3, 1≤x≤1.2, 0.5≤y≤1.0, and 0≤z≤0.5.

7. The composite cathode active material of claim 1 , wherein a content of residual lithium in the composite cathode active material is 0.15 wt % or less based on a total content of the composite cathode active material.

8. A method of manufacturing the composite cathode active material for a lithium ion battery according to claim 1 , the method comprising:
preparing a nickel-rich lithium nickel-based compound by heat-treating i) a transition metal hydroxide as a precursor of the nickel-rich lithium nickel-based compound having a nickel content of 50 to 100 mol % based on a total content of transition metals and ii) a lithium precursor, in an oxidizing atmosphere;
performing a cleaning process by adding a cleaning solution comprising a rare earth metal-containing salt and water to the nickel-rich lithium nickel-based compound and stirring the mixture; and
drying a resultant product having gone through the cleaning process.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the rare earth metal-containing salt comprises at least one selected from yttrium acetate, yttrium sulfate, yttrium chloride, yttrium nitrate, cerium acetate, cerium sulfate, cerium chloride, cerium nitrate, lanthanum acetate, lanthanum sulfate, lanthanum chloride, lanthanum nitrate, europium acetate, europium sulfate, europium chloride, europium nitrate, gadolinium acetate, gadolinium sulfate, gadolinium chloride, gadolinium nitrate, scandium acetate, scandium sulfate, scandium chloride, scandium nitrate, terbium acetate, terbium sulfate, terbium chloride, and terbium nitrate.

10. The method of claim 8 , wherein in the cleaning solution, a content of the rare earth metal-containing salt is from 0.1 to 1.0 M.

11. The method of claim 8 , wherein the drying is performed at a temperature of 200° C. or less.

12. A lithium ion battery comprising a cathode including the composite cathode active material according to claim 1 .

Assignees

• Samsung Sdi Co Ltd

Inventors

• Lee Jaeho
• Kwon Seonyoung
• Kim Kihyun
• Song Yumi
• Cho Kwanghwan

Classifications

• H01M4/36

  Selection of substances as active materials, active masses, active liquids · 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

• Y02E60/10

  Energy storage using batteries · CPC title

• C01G53/68

  containing rare earths, e.g. (La1.62 Sr0.38)NiO4 · CPC title

• H01M10/0525

  Rocking-chair batteries, i.e. batteries with lithium insertion or intercalation in both electrodes; Lithium-ion batteries · CPC title